Rise of the Guardians: Dark Ice
by Mysterie1985
Summary: Not everything is as it seems. After Pitch's defeat, Jack finds that there are other problems other than the boogeyman and they aren't half as nice... [JackxPitch, violence, torture, possible strong language; old story redone]
1. Prologue

_Darkness. It was the very last thing that I remember. It wasn't always this way. The Shadows weren't always there and, once upon a time, I was known by a different name. I once knew the things that you did, I had a family, at least as much of one that I could have. I was a harald hero to all who knew of me. I had been the deciding factor in a war that had been so desperately fought, and with such fevor. I had once been an agent of the light, protector to all against the Shadows that wanted nothing more than to feed on fear and cause destruction. I landed on Earth, years after the war ended and it was then that my true self began to surface again. I was so ever alone for the first time, no one could see me or hear me and my dark servants grew restless. They needed me though, and so I'd set myself the task of protecting the intelligent creatures that lived here; protecting them from the Tsar's foolishness. In the end, I was just as much of a fool. Drunk on power that I was given from the fears that permeated this world, I was undeniably a ruler over all; the ruler of the night. Then, the Man in the Moon just had to interfere. The Guardians came to be and my power wanned to such a point that I was driven by anger, hatred; I wanted revenge for their meddling had tipped the balance I'd been keeping. That, though, was so very long ago. Just a year ago I made my move; I'd spent the last 300 years plotting, planning, and stealing what fear I could from children. I built up an army, I had perfected using my dark influence over the dreamsand that I stole from the dreams of children. I was slowly being feared once more, being believed in. There was one boy, however, who refused to be frightened by my Shadows and yet he still believed in me. His name? Jack Frost. For a time, I watched this boy, intrigued that he could see me, but didn't fear me. That was before the accident on the ice that had robbed him of his life, before he had been resurrected by the Man in the Moon. I took little time to really pay much attention to him as I was building my army for my revenge, it was to my disadvantage that I did because when I got the Guardians together when I was finally ready to take them down, Jack was among them. I underestimated him and his power, at first. I tried to get him to see reason, to join me in rebalancing the world but he rejected me and became a Guardian. He, and a handful of humans turned the tide and restored the other Guardians. I was defeated, most of my Nightmares lost, they then turned on me and I was pulled back into my lair where I would be for a long while; fighting against my servants to conquer them and my own fears again._

 _It would not be so easily done this time. Time didn't matter to me, even if it had I had no way of knowing how much time had passed as I fought against the fears my servants fed on greedily. I vowed vengeance for what the Guardians had done, but even as I simmered in my hatred for them, there was one Guardian I could not bring myself to hate._ _My name is Pitch._


	2. Awake

Darkness.

 _Daddy! Please...!_

Every night...

 _Don't do this!_

Another voice. All so familiar.

Golden eyes shot open for the first time in what seemed like forever. Stillness, peace and quiet at long last. The nightmare was over, at least the one that had kept him unconscious... how long had it been? Well, it didn't matter, what was time to an immortal. The ground beneath him was cold, but he didn't feel it as he stared up at the empty cages above that had once been filled with the twittering nuisances that kept Toothiana company. One hand curled in disgust at the thought of the Guardian. Slowly he pushed himself up, he wasn't uncomfortable on the cold flooring; he'd long since ceased feeling the minor cold that was associated with his lair, not to mention minor cold period. His hands left warm spots where they briefly touched the ground. He snorted in disgust when, for just a brief moment, he noticed that there was a touch of gold on his collar. It quickly faded back into the shadows. He'd lost the battle against the Guardians all because of their newest member... one who couldn't be touched by the power of belief. Jack Frost. Pitch's eyes narrowed at the thought of the young Guardian. That was something that he hadn't figured out. Why was it that the young Guardian's powers weren't affected by the fact that no one had believed in him? He'd tried to persuade the young man to his side... but Jack had refused, even with the promise of children believing in him. Pitch hated that he'd shown a side to Jack that he'd not shown to anyone else. Why had to told him about his longing for a family? About being alone, just like Jack? Was it because the young Guardian knew the same feeling? Why did he care? He felt... something... but what?

It was a feeling that wasn't completely foreign to him, but it wasn't something he'd felt in a good long time. Something that his old self would have known in an instant, but that had been centuries ago. He frowned. Unable to place the feeling that was stirring inside of him that wasn't fear, wasn't anger, wasn't hate... wasn't even loneliness. Oh he'd felt all of those things for far too long to mistake this feeling for any of them. No, this was something different... something new and yet very familiar in the way it seemed to tease him, avoiding him much like the very air avoided being clutched into a fist. The Nightmares had dragged him back to his lair and, in his weakened state, the opening to his lair in the forest had vanished. It would never return, not because he couldn't do it now, but because he didn't just want the Guardians stumbling into it. He didn't want to be invaded by them after his crushing defeat. A bitter taste rose in his throat at the thought of the Guardians, how he'd almost had them and one insignificant brat had turned the tide for them... well, perhaps not so insignificant in that he could stand in front of the terror of an overwhelming number of his Nightmares and tell him that he did believe in him, but wasn't afraid of him. How could a child have so much courage? All it took was that one boy's belief and lack of fear... As he thought about it, he was reminded of another young boy who had seen him and hadn't felt fear... Jack Overland. That had been centuries ago, before Jack had become Jack Frost; of course Pitch had been trying to regain then what the Guardians had taken from him by slowly spreading fear. It had taken him so long to gather the army he had... to gather his strength and it had all come down to nothing because of Jack and another boy. Jamie. Pitch made a sound of frustration in his throat as he pushed himself to his feet and paced. He intended to get his revenge. Oh it would be so sweet... to see the Guardians brought down once more... but how to deal with Jack? That was a problem. A Guardian whose powers were not sustained by belief as his and the other Guardians' were. Why was Jack different? There was no doubt in his mind why the Man in the Moon had chose Jack. No... he'd seen that for himself when he'd captured Jack's teeth along with all the others from around the world; it was the day that Jack had not come home... oh he'd feasted that night on Jack's sister's fears and had grown all the more stronger for it. Had spent weeks returning again and again to Jack's home to feed off his sister; though he'd also visited Jack as well. Not because Jack could provide him with anything in death, hardly that; it was more of a curiosity. The darkness of death wasn't the same as the darkness the Nightmares produced, but Pitch was hardly a stranger to this sort of darkness. So many centuries ago he'd been able to use his Nightmares to kill... that was, until he'd crashed on this planet. Here his Nightmares couldn't kill anyone, at least not directly... He had certainly scared enough humans to death on this plant, particularly during the Dark Ages. Still, the inability for his Nightmares to kill was a mystery to him. What did these humans possess that made them immune to his Nightmares? The older they were, as well, the harder it was to feed from their fears, or even scare them at all; that was why he only sent his Nightmares to children. There was an occasion that he could feed off the fear of an adult, particularly a parent when something untoward had happened to their child, but that was far and few between; the Nightmares of a child were also much more pure... He licked his lips just thinking about it. Now that he was awake again, though his power was diminished, he was ready to start creating Nightmares again. Only a few had survived the battle with the Guardians, but that would change very quickly. Chuckling to himself, Pitch knew that he couldn't go after the children without alerting the Guardians to his being awake and on the move again. Which left him with two options, teenagers... who normally had stopped believing in the Guardians and so were no longer under their protection... and adults. Well, it would take time and effort, but he could wait. He had waited so long already when he'd began building his army the first time. This time he would be more sneaky about it, the Guardians wouldn't know he was back.

A shiver ran up the spine of a young boy as he entered the playground, his brown eyes going from weariness to sudden excitement beneath his brown mop of hair as he knew what it meant. He spun around instantly.

"Jack!"

"Hey Jamie!" The Guardian was lounging against the side of a slide, an easy going grin on the young spirit's face. Jamie didn't hesitate to run up and throw his arms around the Guardian he hasn't seen since last Easter. It was actually almost that time again. Jamie shoved thoughts of last year from his mind; Pitch, he knew, had been defeated and Jack and the other Guardians were there to protect him. Even if he didn't actually fear Pitch.

"Where have you been?!" He asked as he released the Guardian.

"Here and there." Jack replied, ruffling Jamie's hair as if he was the older brother. A moment later he was joined by his friends; Pippa, Monty, Claude, Cupcake and Caleb.

"Did you come to play?" Claude asked and Jack looked at the group of hopeful faces that were staring back at him.

"Are you kidding?" He asked with a grin and twirled his staff before swiping the frosted ground to produce a pile of snowballs. Soon the children were laughing as they engaged in an all-out-every-person-for-themselves snowball fight. Jack dodged most of the snowballs that were thrown at him, but as he was dodging one he got nailed in the arm by one thrown by Jamie.

"Nice shot!" He called out even as he chucked one at Jamie who ducked and the snowball instead hit Claude who tried to retaliate against Jack; the snowball missed the young Guardian though and hit Caleb who was trying to take advantage of Jack's distraction and sneak up on him to hit him with a snowball. Other children quickly joined in the fun as well when Jack hit a few with his magical snowballs. Before the bell rang, indicating that recess was over, the whole schoolyard full of children were engaged in a snowball fight much to the delighted confusion of the adults who were watching over them. There was a resounding groan from many of the kids, including Jamie as they stopped the snowball fight; many dropping snowballs that would have otherwise thrown.

"Guess I have to go now. Will I see you again soon?" Jamie asked, looking at Jack hopefully. How could he say no to his first believer?

"Of course! I wouldn't miss it." Jack said with a smile, Jamie smiled back and waved before heading into the school building; leaving the frost spirit on his own. Jack twirled his staff, unaware he was being watched from the shadows. A Nightmare, quiet as could be, stood behind a tree several yards away. Jack leisurely walked across the yard before taking flight over the fence of the playground; alighting on a nearby sidewalk as he tapped various objects, sending frost spreading over them. A fire hydrant, a stop sign, a shop window... nothing was safe. Jack enjoyed watching the frost curl about each in its own way; he could, of course, direct the frost if he chose but he prefered to see what patterns the frost would make on its own. For 300 years it had been his only solace when no one had believed in him, no one had seen him... except other spirits and most of them wanted nothing to do with him, seeing as they usually found just being too close to him would mean risking cold and he'd never seen any other frost spirit so he just assumed he was the only one of his kind... That was a lonely existence since every other spirit he'd come across... when he did, wanted to keep their distance if only because they couldn't handle the cold. Those that could were a lot like Bunnymund... they didn't take too well to him meddling in their affairs and rarely understood his humor. Oh there'd been one or two that had smiled at his mischief, but most of them had scolded him for interfering with their work. His being a Guardian hadn't changed that. Some had congratulated him, others had seemed confused as to why he'd been chosen instead of them or someone else... yet others seemed to try and hide that they were jealous, but he knew jealousy when he saw it.

When he wasn't busy making it snow, frosting things or freezing water he tried to play with children when he could; though Jamie and his friends were still his favorites, the adults had no idea but of course children around the world had figured out what had happened in the little town, even if they didn't have all the details. With the Internet, things spread fast. Jack wondered if maybe Jamie would see if there was anything new on the Internet about him and the battle once school was out again. Jack spun around suddenly, staff in hand; his eyes searching... He swore he'd seen something, something in the shadows... He relaxed his grip a little when he realized there was nothing there.

"I must be overly tired or something." He muttered to himself as he continued walking down the street. He was still on high alert, but he began to relax even that after he saw a wild rabbit dart through the streets from behind a trashcan near him. He laughed a little.

"Okay Jack, you must really be jumpy today." He shook his head as he relaxed.

That had been close. Pitch narrowed his eyes as he watched the young Guardian from the shadow of an alleyway; his gold eyes gleaming in the darkness. He stuck to the shadows, not because the sunlight hurt him or anything, but because he didn't want to be seen. Not yet. As he watched the Guardian of Fun, he contemplated what had awaken him. For the Nightmares and Fearlings knew nothing of mercy. They had gorged themselves on his fear of being alone, of being forgotten; even if they were under his control now there was no reason that they would have let him go as they had. No... there was something he was missing. Just as he considered that he noticed that Jack froze where he was. The young Guardian wasn't looking about though like he had before, which meant he hadn't seen anything or had even a hint of an idea that Pitch was so close to him. The Guardian seemed to be deep in thought, lost to the world around him, but there was something in the way that Jack stood that sent a spark of... concern? worry? through him if only briefly. Jack straightened, as if coming to a decision and flew off. Pitch didn't follow him though. What had that been about? Was there something that Jack was keeping secret? Pitch retreated back to his lair to think on what he had seen, sinking into the shadows to teleport himself back there in an instant.

Jack flew to the North Pole, swinging into an open window and settling into the noisy workshop. He couldn't help but smile a little as elves scurried around, the yetis still didn't trust him completely even though he was a Guardian and a few eyed him suspiciously as they worked on toys. The elves, useless as always, were either bringing trays of cookies to the workers or goofing off... at least that's what Jack believed they were doing though he'd no doubt that the elves that were decorating one of their own in various ornaments and tinsel didn't think so. Jack knew he should have been perfectly happy with the way things were, he was finally believed in; he was a Guardian, he had friends who supported him. Still, there seemed to be something missing... something he couldn't put a name to. With Pitch gone and the children, including his human friends, safe he should have felt peaceful, happy, ecstatic. Instead... instead he seemed to find himself forcing a smile to his features, forcing himself to act as if he were happy instead of actually being happy. He still had fun... but the feeling of having it faded a lot quicker than it had before he'd been a Guardian. He should have been overwhelmed with joy that children believed in him now, that they could see him and always welcomed him even if they didn't always invite them to play considering not all of them were always able to... but he'd seen the joy and longing to play in their eyes. It should have been enough, it should have been able to push away the loneliness he felt because he wasn't alone anymore. It didn't. He had no reason to complain, no reason for what he felt, but he couldn't help it. As he wandered through the workshop, admiring the various toys that the yetis were building, he felt only a minimal spark of joy in his heart. He wondered, not for the first time, if talking to North would help or compound the problem. Being so new, and not really knowing the other Guardians made him hesitant, nervous even. Thinking about that made him think about the last time he'd seen Pitch. The Nightmare King had been dragged to his lair by his own Nightmares, who'd been fueled by his own fears.

It was what he deserved, right? After all he'd done... nearly enslaving the entire world with darkness from his Nightmares, threatening Jamie and the other Guardians... almost utterly destroying Sandy... Pitch had deserved to be punished, sure, but was what the Nightmares done really what his fate should have been? Despite everything Pitch had done, Jack had felt... almost comfortable in Pitch's presence, particularly that moment in Antarctica. Pitch had talked about longing for a family, about knowing what it felt to be alone, to be cast out... Well, okay the Guardians hadn't really casted him out, but they'd been mighty disappointed in him... and Bunny... Bunny had not wanted anything to do with him. His mistake had cost the world the holiday of Easter. As a result, Bunny had lost all his powers and had been reduced to a tiny, cute rabbit. Jack didn't like to think about that, but he'd made up for it hadn't he? He'd stood up to Pitch with Jamie and his friends, he'd fought and protected them and helped restore power to the Guardians. Even so, he wasn't sure of his position with them. Yes, they'd accepted him, but still... was that all it would ever be? He knew Tooth had no trouble accepting him as a friend, North had been just as forthright in accepting him into the fold; as for Sandy, well he was about as friendly as Tooth was... if in a different way but Bunny... That one had a lot of issues and he still hadn't forgiven Jack for messing with his eggs in 1968, which he'd done out of boredom as much as to get his attention. He'd gotten it alright, but Bunny hadn't forgiven him for it, yet.

None of the Guardians, however friendly, seemed to really understand him though. They'd all fallen apart only a few hours of having to deal without having believers. Jack had managed to do well with that in 300 years... well, sort of. He'd spent all that time doing everything he could think of to get the attention of someone, ANYone... nothing had worked until that night with Jamie... when he'd kept the last light from going out by using his powers to produce a snow rabbit; bringing it to life after he'd etched it onto the window in his frost. Jamie had begun to belief in him when he realized the rabbit was made of snow when it had burst when Jamie had touched it; his first believer. Jack had been overwhelmed. Now he had many believers all over the world and it felt great, but even so... Pitch had said he'd understood, if anything, Jack figured he understood the boogeyman better than the Guardians understood Jack. He watched a few bouncy balls rebound behind closed doors in one room that was reserved for testing such toys. He paused to watch them, yetis inside either making notes or running after the balls of various sizes. A thought struck him, had anyone ever tried being nice to Pitch? Tried sharing the joy of what it was to have fun? Of having friends? Was that really what all that had been about when Pitch had been trying to get him to his side? At the south pole, the boogeyman had seemed so... so sad, so... vulnerable and sincere. Like... Jack's breath caught for a moment. It had been like he hadn't wanted to do what he'd been doing... he hadn't wanted to fight Jack... Had any of the Guardians considered that the boogeyman might have a heart? That.. just like any of them... he could be hurt?

Jack was utterly shocked to feel the pang of pity and regret suddenly spike through him. Why was he feeling sympathy for his enemy? It didn't make any sense... and there was... something else too... something Jack was sure he'd never felt even when he'd been alive. As he began to move from the room that served to test the bounciness of balls, Jack was no real stranger in terms of the boogeyman. He had faint memories about talking with him when he'd still been alive. Why Pitch had bothered after he'd told him that he wasn't afraid of him... Jack was certain he'd never know. He wasn't sure he actually cared to know. He began to wonder though, what would have happened if he hadn't rejected Pitch? At least... not completely? What if... instead of saying no... he'd told him that he needed time to consider? He'd been rash then, turmoil from the rejection the Guardians had given him after his messing up Easter had hit him hard and had blinded him... but not completely. He'd seen the honesty in Pitch's eyes when he'd spoke. Pitch hadn't been deceiving him, but when he'd been rejected Pitch had turned on him and broken his staff as well as nearly broken his spirit. He had Baby Tooth to thank for that. She'd rescued him, in a way. He began to wonder if Pitch's loneliness was eternal. The thought tugged at his heart... okay, not tugged... more like jerked with a sharpened hook. No one deserved that... not even someone like Pitch.

Jack heard familiar voices arguing and knew who they had to belong to immediately.

"Come on! We all know what a disaster last year's was. I want to make up for it to the kids. At least can you consider not making such a big show of Christmas?"

"What big show? Is Christmas! You had chance this year for the making up." Jack floated towards the balcony like room that held the globe where North and Bunny were currently arguing.

"Mate you get off easy! Your holiday wasn't the one Pitch ruined."

"You worry too much Bunny. Children still believe in you. What more you want?" Bunny scowled at North, despite not seeming to have a comeback for that. Jack landed and leaned on his staff with a smile.

"Oh sure, you've got a right to smile mate, but no messing with Easter you 'ear?" Jack held up his hands in a gesture of surrender.

"Whoa, I got the picture, no need for the dramatics." Bunny rolled his eyes at that.

"Jack! Is good to be seeing you!" North boomed and smiled as he turned from Bunny. Jack couldn't help but smile, that's just the way North was; one couldn't help but smile when they were around him.

"How are you? Still getting used to being Guardian, no?"

"I think I'm getting the hang of it, thanks. I don't think I could be better." He smiled, but even so he knew it wasn't true and it was almost impossible to hide anything from North.

"Jack, something bothering you?" The concern was evident on the man's face; he was easy to read.

"No, it's nothing. I'm just still overwhelmed at how quick things changed. I mean, I was no one until Jamie started believing and now... now it seems every kid on the planet believes. It's just... a lot to get used to."

"Is not all. What troubles you?" Well, there was no getting past North apparently.

"We're here for ya mate, but you gotta tell us what's wrong." Bunny put in, seeming only slightly less concerned than North was; their argument temporarily forgotten. Jack felt a bit uncomfortable, but he didn't say as much; he didn't want to hurt their feelings as he could see that they were serious. They really did care about him, even if they didn't completely understand him, even if it had only been about a year since he'd officially become a Guardian. Jack sighed, his smile fading.

"I just... I can't stop thinking about Pitch and what happened to him... I mean, it just doesn't seem fair that he would be subjected to that... You saw him, he was scared... terrified of the same thing I am... was. Of being alone, invisible to everyone... of being forgotten." Bunny sort of just stared at him, as if he couldn't comprehend a single word Jack had just said, but North's features softened into understanding.

"Is nothing we can do about it. Was not our decision. I know is hard for you to comprehend, not used to battle or being a warrior. He could have been Guardian long ago. I ask once. He refused. He was full of anger, hatred. Difficult to understand, he fought against us, against what we were doing. We have been fighting Pitch for long time, last battle was closest he get to winning."

"Seriously?" North nodded.

"Come, Jack, follow Bunny for hot coco. Do not let Pitch's fate worry you much."

"Do you think we'll ever see him again?"

"Who can tell? Is Pitch. If he come back we deal with, like before." Jack had to be satisfied with that, but it didn't really help any. He couldn't help but feel a little sorry for Pitch. He understood too well what it was like to be lonely.

Bunny gave him a small smile as he followed the rabbit to the kitchen. The place was huge and nearly two whole walls were lined with ovens that yetis were constantly tending. Some were constantly working at a large island counter that was covered in flour and dough and a host of other ingredients. On one wall was what looked to be a wardrobe door but when a yeti stepped out of it, arms full with various frozen and non-frozen items, Jack realized it was a storage area. On the opposing wall to the ovens was a cooling area where all sorts of Christmas themed food was cooling down. Some were even stuck in smaller fridges that sat on the counter, others were sitting on decorative plates just waiting to be eaten. Jack wasn't hungry though and ignored it as Bunny pushed a cup of hot coco at him.

"Drink up mate. Manny knows its cold enough outside."

"Never bothered me." Jack said with a smile, taking the drink. He gingerly sipped on it and couldn't help the faint smile. It tasted like peppermint and had been cooled a little. Not that he couldn't stand it if it had been as hot as the rabbit's was, but warm things normally weren't his usual favorites. Even so, he still enjoyed the way the warmth of the drink slid down his throat. There was something almost... sinful in that he enjoyed the drink when he was supposed to be all about snow, cold and frost. He'd always enjoyed the drink, especially now that humans had perfected it and had even managed to add flavors. Peppermint was his favorite among the many sweets that North made up every year.

"Kind of hard to believe they need a kitchen this big." Jack said as he stood near the door, trying to stay out of the way like Bunny, who just shrugged in response.

"I know the one in th' Warren is twice as big." He said after a moment.

"Really?" Jack was a little surprised at this. Bunny grinned a little in satisfaction.

"Has ta be mate. I don't get as much time to prepare as North. Remin' me and I'll show ya some time." Jack nodded with a smile.

"I'd like that."

"Speakin' o' which I best be off." Bunny finished his coco and handed it to one of the many elves that were scurrying about the kitchen with various plates and other cooking utensils for the busy yetis. It seemed to be the only thing that they were allowed to do.

"Later Bunny." With a brief smile for Jack, Bunny was out of the room and gone; leaving Jack to his thoughts in the chaotic room. Jack finished his coco quickly enough if only so he could leave the place. It was a little too noisy for his taste... like a lot of the workshop was actually. Only North's study and library seemed to be the only places that weren't surrounded by yetis or elves busily working.

Jack wandered out of the room and along the many circling passages that made up the workshop. He wasn't sure what he should be doing now. It wasn't like he didn't know what he could do, but more like he didn't have anything pressing. It wasn't like the others, Sandy producing dreams for children during the night, North always preparing for Christmas even when Christmas had been just the day before, Tooth with collecting teeth from all around the globe and Bunny... He was more like Bunny, ironically, in that he didn't really have a set schedule that worked around the clock. Sure Bunny got uptight around Easter time, but other than that the rabbit seemed to be content to stay in his burrow. He'd already started working on easing the southern part of the planet into winter, but there weren't so many days left before summer would take over his home in Burgess. He would have to wait out summer, as normal, not that he couldn't make it wintery there during those months but he'd learned long ago - from talking to the few spirits he'd encountered - that tipping the balance of the seasons was strictly forbidden and unforgivable without due cause. Needless to say, Jack had no intentions of getting into that sort of mischief. Putting those thoughts aside, he glanced at a nearby clock.

"Crap, I'm going to be late!" He took off out the nearest window. He had said he'd visit Jamie again soon... although he hadn't said when that would be he had meant for it be when the kid got out of school for the day. He'd stayed at the pole a little too long, by the time he'd get back it would nearly be dark.

He wasn't wrong about that, the sun had nearly fully set when he tapped on Jamie's window. Jamie had been busy at his new computer, the latest in technology and the latest gift he'd gotten from North. Hearing the tap, Jamie turned and smiled before going over and opening the window to let Jack in.

"Jack!"

"Hey Jamie, what's up?"

"Just finishing up some homework." Jamie said with exasperation.

"Homework huh? What on?" Jamie grinned at the question.

"On you." Jack blinked, he hadn't expected that!

"Me?"

"Yeah, apparently there's LOADS of stuff on the internet about you and the other Guardians."

"Yeah... about that... I was wondering if maybe you'd show me some of it."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I don't exactly have my own computer and I don't think the library would be happy if I accidentally froze one of theirs." Jamie smiled and nodded understandingly, Jack couldn't help it if everything he touched eventually froze. It was just the way he was.

Jamie hit print on his computer, sending the printer nearby into motion; he closed the document window and opened another one. He typed in "Jack Frost" in the search engine and a long list of sites popped up, including one that previewed some photos. Of course, not all of them were actually of him he noticed.

"Can we start with the photos?" He asked.

"Sure... but um..."

"What?"

"Well... you'll just have to see for yourself." Jack noticed that Jamie seemed a tad uncomfortable. What exactly did the boy know that he didn't? Jamie turned his attention to the computer and brought up the photos. Most of them were like looking into a mirror, there were also some hand drawn pictures as well, some colored, some not. Jack marveled at all of the photos, some of which came from old paintings or illustrations in books that spoke of him but they had gotten his looks wrong in one form or another. He wasn't sure what to make of that, and then Jamie scrolled down and Jack froze, rooted on the spot. His thoughts seemed to follow. He was startled that there were so many pictures of him, sure, not to mention in various poses, but the one he had fixated on was one where he was wearing a black hood, the eyes that peered out of the hood - that seemed to catch his own in a way that made him almost shiver - were golden eyes. The same he remembered staring back into when he'd last seen Pitch.

"What the... Jamie... do people think I'm..." He couldn't really form the words.

"I don't know Jack..." The kid seemed as uncertain as he, he motioned for Jamie to continue to scroll down. There were more pictures, even some pictures of an evil snowman since someone had obviously named some horror movie after him. He didn't mind it, but he didn't necessarily like that either. Nothing he could do about that though considering it had come along years before he had been believed in. There was even a sequel, the thought of it made Jack uneasy; it wasn't the only picture that did that though. There were some versions of "him" that made him uneasy as well. Most of what he saw though was either cute, funny, or just nice to see. He couldn't help but smile a little to see some drawn art of him and Bunnymund together. Then he saw one of him and Pitch together, he was surprised by it, to say the least. Especially considering in the drawing the two of them weren't fighting, they were just sort of standing next to each other. He was a little... uneasy to see photos of himself with some strange girl. When he asked Jamie about it the other just shrugged, not knowing who she was either even though one photo's name was "Jack and Elsa" it didn't ring a bell for Jamie. Who the heck was Elsa?

Jack motioned for Jamie to keep going when the boy glanced at him again. Jamie did so, but there seemed to be some hesitation on his part. There was also a drawing of Jack and Rapunzel... that girl was from a fairy tale, what the heck?! Jamie scrolled down... another pairing, who the heck was Tachi? Was she the artist? Jack's brows furrowed in thought as he studied the other pictures. Jack didn't mind it too awful much but then Jamie scrolled down and Jack's breath hitched in his throat. He couldn't believe what he was seeing... it was a picture of him and Pitch, well... Pitch was more of a shadow shape than himself and he was standing behind Jack with a hand on Jack's bare chest... the picture seemed to stir something in Jack... something... odd. Jack had no name for it.

"Okay... what the heck?" He said when Jamie scrolled down and there was obviously a photo of him kissing another boy. He couldn't hide the sheer surprise in his tone though Jamie quickly scrolled past it. There were even a couple of pictures of him and Tooth... but that didn't disturb him as much as the one with Pitch... In fact, that one was something he couldn't shake out of his mind. It started leading to thoughts that Jack had to stamp down because it just... it just wasn't right!

"Um... so... are you okay?" Jamie asked, Jack was just staring at the keyboard, trying to gather his thoughts.

"Jack?" Jamie asked after a moment when the frost spirit didn't answer. Jack looked up into the concerned eyes of the boy and managed to summon a smile.

"Yeah, I'm fine... Just, shocked is all. I didn't know what to expect I guess but not that..." He let out a breath, he couldn't tell Jamie how much that single photo with him and Pitch had affected him.

"Some of those were... weird."

"Yeah. Well... it gets worse." Jack blinked. Worse? How could it get worse? He was afraid to ask even as he tried to form the words, nothing came out of his mouth. Jamie looked a little ashamed and embarrassed at the same time.

"Ah... well... curiosity got the better of me and... well... the stories... they're... they're worse."

"How so?" Jack finally managed to ask.

"Um, well... each one tends to be a pairing... and well... there's one in particular that stands out..." Jamie's embarrassment slowly faded, but he seemed to not want to say too much more.

"Pairing? As in, a relationship?" Jack asked and the boy nodded.

"It's... um... embarrassing in a way..."

"Who is it?" Jack asked before he could stop himself. There was a long moment of hesitation from the boy before he finally answered, his voice almost a whisper.

"Pitch." Jack stumbled back a few steps. He wasn't sure what to make of that answer, he thought he should feel mortification, humiliation but he felt nothing of the sort, just... shock.

"I... I should probably go." He managed to say and Jamie just nodded, a sort of grim look on the young boy's face. Jack didn't even want to think about it as he left the boy's room. What sort of minds had put him in a story with PITCH of all people?! Seriously... why?

Jack wasn't sure what to make of all this, it definitely wasn't anything he'd considered before. Sure he'd felt bad for Pitch for what he'd been through and everything but seriously?! He wasn't sure what disturbed him more, what Jamie had said about the stories or that he didn't actually seem to mind... He had to fight against the thoughts that came unbidden to his mind when he remembered that second drawing of him and Pitch... it... his mind went into directions that made him flush. He was certain he never would have thought such things if he hadn't been so curious as to see what the internet had to offer... He shouldn't have asked Jamie... but what was done, was done. He raced back to his pond and sat in the middle of it to think. He really needed to calm himself down and think this thing through... As he sat there, he didn't notice that the shadows were lengthening behind him, nor in front of him. He didn't seem to notice as Pitch stood on the bank behind him. What was the boy up to? He thought of speaking, but he'd nothing really to say to the boy. He hadn't actually thought of speaking to Jack since his rejection at the south pole just before the fight that he'd ultimate lost against the Guardians and a pack of children, well... six children really. Jack seemed to be completely lost in thought to have not noticed that Pitch was there. Pitch unconsciously fingered the golden locket around his neck, hidden beneath his black robes. It was the only thing he had left of his past; a painful reminder of his first failure, but he kept it close if only for that reminder. He hadn't worn it in the fight against the Guardians if only because he knew that he might risk losing it and he'd only remembered where it was a day or so ago. Intending to say something to the young Guardian, he stepped onto the ice, wondering - if only for a brief moment - if he really should reveal himself. Jack's head shot up at the sudden feeling that he wasn't alone and he shot to his feet and looked around; his hands on his staff tightened when he saw Pitch.

"... Pitch." It was all he said, there was confusion in the boy's eyes. Obviously he hadn't expected the other to be there.

"You were expecting someone else?"

"No... I just..." Jack fumbled for words, ready for an attack that didn't come. After a moment he lowered his staff, much to Pitch's surprise though none of it showed on his face.

"Just what? Expecting I'd be here with an army? Expecting that you'd suddenly be swamped with dark sand?" Jack shook his head, it was none of those things.

"I... didn't know you were... back." He said after a moment of hesitation.

"There will always be fear, Jack. Where there is fear, I shall be." Jack couldn't argue there, hadn't Pitch said something similar to him and the other Guardians before his Nightmares had overtaken him?

Jack wasn't sure what to say. He'd expected that Pitch's last defeat would mean the end of him, not that he'd run into him on what was essentially his turf.

"I see you've regained all of your memories, haven't you Jack?" Jack was caught a little off guard by the question. His mind racing, he wasn't worried now about what he'd learned from the internet. He was thinking about the memories he had of when he was alive... when he'd seen Pitch before he'd become a Guardian.

"Why... why did you come back?"

"Why wouldn't I? There's work to be done Jack."

"No... I mean... when I was alive..." Jack fumbled a little, trying to understand his memories and whether or not it meant anything. He stared at Pitch, the golden eyes seem to melt like amber for a moment... or was it just his imagination? The expression on Pitch's face didn't falter, didn't change.

"Ah, so I guess not all of your memories are clear then." Jack shook his head. He remembered his first sight of Pitch, under his sister's bed and later up in his room... then seeing Pitch standing at the foot of his bed, just sort of staring at him. They'd talked... or at least he had the feeling they had, but he couldn't remember what had been said. Pitch's lips twitched slightly.

"So you do remember me then. That must be shocking to you... to think that we have a past." Pitch chuckled and slowly circled around Jack.

"All these years, and you didn't think that you and I had any sort of ... connection. Did you?" Jack raised his weapon again, he didn't like this.

"Funny, isn't it?"

"Isn't what?" Jack asked, irritated that the boogeyman hadn't answered his question.

"That your memories can't give you the answers you so long to know the answer to. You want to know why I came back... what was it that you and I talked of..." He chuckled, he remembered even if Jack did not.

"You fear that you can't remember something you should..." Pitch stopped and smiled, sending a shiver of fear through Jack.

"Something you think you're on the verge of discovering... something that you wouldn't want anyone else to know..." The more Pitch spoke the more Jack began to fear that there might be some truth somewhere hidden in all those stories about him and Pitch... stories that had come from the minds of humans...

"Oh Jack, your fear is very intoxicating... So easy... almost too easy." The look Pitch gave him didn't help. His heart pounded in his chest suddenly and, mixed with confusion, he lunged at his enemy. Pitch side stepped and Jack shot frost at him only for it to smack into a wall of Nightmare sand. Pitch swung a scythe made of the sand at him when it materialized, but Jack was nimble enough to avoid it and shot at him, sending Pitch sliding across the ice. He quickly recovered and the two seemed to dance across the ice as they avoided shots from the other even as they attempted to score a hit on their opponent. Jack nearly got Pitch, but Pitch had shifted in time for the blast to miss him by mere centimeters, instead, something landed on the ice with a soft "klink." At the same time Jack and Pitch froze. Jack out of sheer curiosity and surprise, Pitch out of shock. It was a golden locket. At the same time they both dove for it, Pitch was quick, but Jack was quicker and claimed the little trinket.

"Give that back!" Pitch yelled as Jack soared back, keeping out of the boogeyman's reach.

Jack held the locket from its broken chain. Pitch seemed enraged at the Guardian, trying to catch him with black sand, but Jack dodged him easily.

"What's so important about a little locket? I didn't know you were the sentimental type!" He called, ducking another shot of black sand. Pitch ground his teeth at the impertinent Guardian who flipped open the locket with his thumb to glance inside. It was a picture of a young girl, he slowly came down; Pitch could see the emotions of shock and something else he couldn't quite place seem to wash over the young Guardian. Pitch clenched his fists as Jack stared at the picture, cradling it suddenly with great care; more than Pitch had actually expected of the Guardian. The look he gave Pitch wasn't one of pity, not that he expected it, but one of curious pain. Why was Jack looking at him like he'd wounded him?

"Who is she?" Pitch was silent a moment, it was an inevitable question. He was not obliged to answer, he knew he owed nothing to Jack. Nothing at all. So why did he find himself answering the question?

"My daughter." He watched as curiosity and confusion warred on the Guardian's face as well as something of shock. He'd obviously not been told by the other Guardians.

"You... you have a daughter?" The question was barely above a whisper.

"Had a daughter." There was a long moment of silence, the Guardian seemed to be struggling with something, Pitch wanted to snatch the locket away, but something was keeping him from doing so. What that something was he didn't know and it only made him angry. He was expecting the Guardian of Fun to make some teasing remark. Instead, to his surprise, Jack closed the locket. Then he set his staff down at his feet and with infinite care, he summoned his frost to fuse the broken links of the locket back into place. It wasn't perfect, but the links would hold. Pitch just stared, unsure what to do. He'd never been shown kindness from any of the Guardians. Never, but here was Jack, the youngest member who had broken his one precious keepsake and who was now mending it. Jack picked up his staff only once he was sure that it was fixed and slowly walked over to Pitch.

"I'm sorry... I... I didn't mean to break it..." He held the locket out. Pitch took it back, sliding it back around his neck; the chain felt cool against his skin, particularly where Jack had mended it. He stared at the Guardian, not sure what to make of this.

"I didn't know..." Jack murmured before glancing away. Why did he care? Somehow he realized he cared about Pitch and the thought that he'd once had a daughter, someone he loved... it just made him seem... well, less what he was.

After a moment, Pitch let out a soft snort, drawing Jack's attention to him again.

"Hard to believe they've been so lax on your education." Jack just shrugged a bit even as he spoke.

"They've been busy."

"Too busy to tend to their newest member? I find that rather surprising." Jack blinked, Pitch, surprised? He was surprised the Nightmare King hadn't struck him down considering the absolute fury he'd seen in those golden orbs when he'd been dangling the locket out of his reach. That fury seemed to have cooled though once he'd repaired and given it back. Pitch decided that this awkwardness that was between the two of them now, this silence, was more than he wanted to deal with right now. Without a word, he sank into the black sand that would return him to his lair. Jack watched him go, wary but not on edge and not about to attack. Jack wasn't too surprised when Pitch didn't reappear. He was almost disappointed, not really, but almost and that made him start to question things. What was wrong with him?! He'd just been KIND to his enemy! Was he losing it? Then again... he didn't have the heart to destroy what was obviously something precious, even if it did belong to Pitch. It was almost inconceivable in the young Guardian's mind that Pitch had once had a daughter. It meant that Pitch had once had someone he loved and thinking about Pitch loving anyone was almost laughable, especially considering the events a year before. What had this girl been like? What was her name? Maybe it was just his love of children that made him want to know more about the girl whose picture was so precious to his enemy. As he sat back down on the ice, Jack thought about the exchange and everything that had happened, but not once did he think about alerting any of the other Guardians that Pitch had returned.


	3. Confusion

Pitch stood in his lair where the globe stood, the tiny lights one of the few sources of lights in his lair besides the dabble of sunlight that came in through various holes. He stood looking at a creature that had intruded on his home. A fae that had been waiting for him. It was a kelpie, the figure looked a lot like a young man with some sort of moss or weed woven into dark brown hair and he was dripping water as if he'd come in from the rain though Pitch knew that was just the way they were. Kelpies were a type of fae that needed water to survive.

"What do you want?" The fae bobbed his head in respect.

"Cahal sends his regards. He hopes you are enjoying your freedom." Pitch frowned, he knew that name. Although he rarely bothered to meddle in the affairs of the Seelie and Unseelie courts, the name of Cahal wasn't unknown. A prominent Pond Sprite, a type of fae that was commonly mistake for Each Usage or other such water fae because of similar behaviors. Pond Sprites, however, didn't normally leave their waters but Cahal had. They also tended to use water nymphs to seek out their prey rather than hunt themselves. They weren't known to eat humans, but many did on occasions and unlike Each Usage, if they did eat their victims they didn't leave anything behind.

"So, he was the one who interfered." It was more of a statement than a question, but the water fae before him nodded.

"You can tell him that while I have no qualms with him, I detest intrusions. Leave us. While you still can." The fae blinked in surprise, but when several Nightmares sprang up from the shadows the fae was quick to scramble away without looking back. Pitch watched the fae leave with satisfaction. Once he was certain the other was gone he turned his mind back to the problem at hand. The problem being Jack Frost. He shouldn't have approached the Guardian, but he couldn't undo what he'd done. He wasn't even sure what he'd hoped to accomplish or what had compelled him to approach the frost spirit in the first place. The Nightmares around him watched closely as he slowly paced around the globe, peering at the little lights as if planning his next move against the Guardians, but that wasn't it at all. He was still trying to lodge Jack Frost from his mind and felt increasing irritation that it wasn't happening. The more he tried to think of what he needed to do, the more his mind kept circling back around to Jack. He retreated to his library, sending out Nightmares to feed as they willed and create more Nightmares from the dreams of teenagers, he forbade them from taking from children. At least for now.

Pitch was so lost in thought over the matter that he almost... almost didn't notice when the temperature of the room began to drop faster than normal. He paused and turned as a certain, irritating frost spirit seemed to want to drop in. Pitch scowled slightly as Jack rolled to a stop, obviously having fallen into the room.

"What do you want Frost?" He asked as the boy shook his head and got to his feet.

"I... actually wasn't looking for this place... I ... didn't know that cave..." He stumbled. Pitch sighed, it had been an accident. Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later and the fact that Jack was covered in more snow than usual told him it was the entrance he had in Antarctica that the boy had stumbled through.

"There are many entrances." Jack blinked a little in surprise, but Pitch didn't seem to notice. Though he was staring intently at the boy for a long moment, a slight smile tugged at his lips as some interesting ideas came to mind.

"Exactly what were you looking for? A little fun in the dark perhaps?" Jack stared at Pitch in utter surprise, seeming flabbergasted for a moment, but he did have the decency to flush quite brilliantly; though on him it would seem that his pale skin took on a blue hue. Pitch chuckled at this, was the boy THAT naive? Perhaps this would be a lot more fun than he had anticipated.

"A-are..." Jack swallowed the lump, trying to forget the double meaning to Pitch's words. He wasn't so naive as to not know what the Nightmare King might very well be alluding to.

"Are you kidding?!" He managed, though his voice cracked a little and that made him flush all the more.

"Oh Jack... you really _are_ young..." Pitch slowly walked towards the boy, unsure of himself or what Pitch intended, Jack took a step back for every one that the Nightmare King took towards him until he found himself up against a wall. His eyes wide as Pitch stood in front of him, his eyes gleaming like twin golden lights. He hadn't even so much as touched Jack yet and the frost spirit found he was sweating bullets. What the hell was wrong with him?! This was PITCH! His enemy! So why... Pitch stopped very close, close enough to be able to smell him.

"Your fear is making this very tempting, Jack." He said softly, his voice purred. Jack swallowed.

"Tell me... have you ever been this close to someone?" Jack couldn't make his voice work, he wanted to shove off and fly away but he found that for some reason he couldn't move. He could barely shake his head. He'd been utterly alone for 300 years... he'd never ONCE entertained such an idea... not once... he was too wrapped up in his loneliness. Jack could feel a bit of heat that he assumed was coming from Pitch just then.

"Hmmm, I see not... that would just make you all the more delicious..." Jack felt a shiver go through him, he wasn't sure what he should do, but he sure as heck wasn't really thinking about engaging in anything with Pitch that wasn't a fight ... Jack didn't think Pitch could look anymore dangerous than he did right now and that was saying something.

"Nothing to say? Hmmm?"

"I'm not afraid of you." Jack managed, thinking that he'd planned all of this out just to get under Jack's skin.

"No... but I can sense what you are afraid of ... shall I tell you? Oh, but I imagine we both know, don't we Jack? About what you're hiding... what you're afraid the other Guardians will do if they ever found out..."

"W-what are you talking about?!" Jack managed in an almost steady voice. He wasn't sure he liked the way Pitch was looking at him... as if... as if he was going to eat him like some steak or something after not having eaten anything in a long while... Pitch's soft chuckle washed over him.

"Come on now Jack, you aren't that innocent." Pitch lightly drew a finger down Jack's cheek and continued to slide down his neck, sliding across the top of his blue hoodie. Jack jumped a little from the unexpected contact, but it was utter shock that kept him still. Shock at how warm Pitch's finger felt against his cool skin and how he was heating beneath something so... innocent wasn't quite the right word for it, he wasn't sure what would be. It wasn't the heat of Pitch's finger that had sent him into such shock though, it was the fact that he realized he was liking it, the way that it drew warmth... even though he shouldn't enjoy it as a frost spirit... but he couldn't help it. It was a lot like hot coco... but in a completely different sense as the warmth that spread to him wasn't settling in his gut, which was starting to clinch, but the warmth was spreading to his limbs. Jack found he couldn't say a single word, no matter how much he tried. In his 300 years he'd _never_ encountered anything like this and certainly had never expected it from Pitch. He felt his cheeks flush warm, it wasn't just his skin warming, he could feel a gentle throb in his pants. That was too much, he threw himself off to the side and away from Pitch, panting heavily as if he'd just been fighting with all his might. Pitch, on the other hand, simply stood there, watching him. The older spirit seemed to not have at all been affected by his own actions or suggestions and hadn't moved, his hands gently clasped behind his back now.

Pitch simply seemed to be waiting while Jack fumbled like a human teenager... ah screw it, he **was** a teenager still... even in terms of spirits. Jack got to his feet and was out of there in no time. Even as a part of him was screaming to go back, to get what he wanted... He thought only that he really needed to clear his head and burst into the air above the clouds, the winds of the Antarctic carrying him high enough to not be seen by anyone who would be on the continent, or on the planet for that matter, as he zoomed off. Trying to get his head straight and wondering if Pitch was merely laughing at him. What had that been about?! He felt... he felt... he wasn't sure WHAT he felt exactly, but he was pretty sure he shouldn't be feeling this for the sworn enemy of the Guardians. Even with the coldest winds at his beck and call to turn his body back to as cold as it should be, the winds couldn't erase the sound of Pitch's voice and how the purr of it affected him when he had said Jack's name. He really needed a diversion... and not _that_ kind... He took a plunge into the icy waters and came up again, he didn't feel the cold of the water, but it did momentarily take his mind off things as he swam to shore, if clumsily. It was only after he'd plunged himself into the water did he remember why he kept his pond frozen... he still shivered at the memory of his own death... of the fear of drowning. Even as an immortal it was a fear he harbored, he didn't really know how to swim, but he'd seen some kids do it one summer and had managed to pick up the basics. Enough to keep him from panicking too badly at any rate. His heart was pounding in his chest, but at least this time it was from fear and not from... whatever it was Pitch had stirred up in him. The water had frozen where he'd dove in and around him, though it had been slower beneath the surface to freeze and mostly he'd left a trail of ice that looked rather odd. He'd broken through the ice he'd made to get onto shore and then broke up the ice trail he'd left into chunks. He shook off the ice that had clung to him, that had been water hitting his skin upon diving in. Now he watched the various chunks of ice drift off at the beckoning of the waves. He turned to look up at the moon. It was like a luminescent pearl in the sky, for here in the south pole it was winter. It was day time, but with the northern hemisphere of the planet facing towards the sun for summer, the southern tip was so far away that it would be dark all around the clock until the seasons changed.

"What am I supposed to do?" He asked the moon, as if it would answer him, but there was no answer. He sighed, he hadn't really expected one, but he really could use the advice. Trouble was, he really couldn't just go ask any of the Guardians. Crap. He hadn't told them yet that Pitch was back! Well, the Nightmare King wasn't exactly stirring up trouble and he had seemed strong enough even after his defeat... It didn't really matter if he was up and about as long as he wasn't causing any trouble. Jack blinked when he saw the emergency signal from North, pretty as the lights were, Jack knew it couldn't be anything good. He sped back to the North Pole as fast as he could, blocking out what had happened down in Pitch's lair. He was a Guardian and that came first, no matter what his old enemy had said or done.

When Jack reached the workshop, flying in from an open window, he saw that the other Guardians were already there and were waiting for him. Bunny was warming his feet by the nearby hearth while Tooth and Sandy were enjoying eggnog.

"Jack! There you are!" North boomed as soon as he saw Jack.

"What's going on?"

"Trouble all over mate." Bunny replied before North could, Jack glanced from one of his fellow Guardians to the others; each one had serious expressions.

"We were talking, have you noticed difference while out?"

"What kind of difference?" Jack asked.

"Like the people disappearing kind... and in a good handful." Bunny replied. Jack shook his head, he hadn't noticed anything like that when he'd been spreading his snow and frost.

"Apparently it's a widespread thing, Jack. A lot of people have gone missing, including children." Tooth said.

"What could this mean?"

"Is possible other spirits rising to take place of Pitch."

"I hate to say it, but North's right. There are plenty of other spirits out there that were only held back because of Pitch. Now that we taken the bugger out they're comin' in." Bunny said, Jack was surprised.

"Because Pitch is gone? But..." The protest died on his lips as he realized he'd not said anything about seeing Pitch. He wasn't sure what was stopping him from telling them he'd just come from seeing the boogeyman not long ago.

"Who is responsible then?" Jack asked before the other Guardians could question what he'd stopped saying before.

"Hard to say, but few spirits act like this. We find soon enough." Jack nodded thoughtfully.

"What do you expect me to do?" He wasn't much for research, heck he couldn't stand sitting in one place for more than ten minutes if he could help it; well, there were a few exceptions to that, but they were far and few between.

"Keep eye out for strangeness." North said before turning to the other Guardians and giving them various tasks. Jack stuck the hand that wasn't holding his staff into his hoodie pocket and stuck around to listen for a little while. An elf came by carrying a tray of eggnog, Jack picked one up and took a sip; he wasn't really into the stuff but he was pleasantly surprised to find that it was more refined now and tasted better than he thought it would. Better than he remembered actually. He was quick to finish it off before he accidentally froze the stuff in the cup, as was what happened to any liquid in a cup he held for too long. He set the empty cup back on the tray and the elf wondered off before he could consider grabbing another. He soon became bored listening to North and the others discuss what fae they thought was responsible for the disappearances. Bored now, he wandered the workshop before deciding to head out altogether. He had a lot to think about, like whether or not Jamie had noticed anything different, or about keeping a better eye on things when he spread his frost and snow, and... Pitch. Now there was a topic he wanted to avoid, even in his own head.

What had really happened down in the boogeyman's lair? Had it been an illusion? Surely the man had been toying with him, if only just to make him fear what would happen and get under his skin. That didn't mean that he could account for his own actions though, or in this case, lackthereof... A wave of disgust at himself washed over him just thinking about his own inactions towards... whatever that had been. He wanted to blame Nightmares, but they didn't do things like that when one was awake, he knew that. There were the Nightmare Men and Fearlings... but none of them had seemed to be around just then. In fact, he remembered seeing some hang out near the entrance he'd tumbled through, but otherwise the only other thing in the room besides himself and Pitch had been a handful of Nightmares. He could have easily taken them, and Pitch, on. In fact, for whatever reason, Pitch hadn't made any sort of move to attack him or even shown signs that he meant to, so... why? Jack couldn't wrap his head around what had happened anymore than he could erase from his memory what had been so blatantly offered to him and his own reactions. He shuddered, as much as in a rising wanton as in dread, he shoved down the thoughts as much as he could. He didn't know what Pitch was up to but he didn't put it past the Nightmare King to try and toy with him in that way just to keep him off balance. Hadn't he toyed with Jack when he'd been in Pitch's lair a year before, searching for the delicate golden tube that had held his teeth? His memories? Of course Tooth now had possession of them again, Baby Tooth, he knew, sometimes visited his teeth in particular if only because she had grown particularly fond of him after that year. Oh he'd messed up and she'd ended up captured along with her sister teeth, but she hadn't held it against him. He had, after all, more than made up for it when he'd relinquished his staff to Pitch in exchange for her life. His staff wasn't so much the source of his power as it was a vital part of him; feeling the staff broken in two as Pitch had done was akin to having someone rip out his heart... He'd felt as if some part of him had been missing when the staff had been broken, but he'd had just enough power to repair it and when it had become whole again his power had surged and he'd been able to beat Pitch back along with the other Guardians, Jamie and his friends. It wasn't something he liked to really remember, but he couldn't help but think of it every now and then because that year had brought him Jamie, his first believer. He could feel the flame of Jamie's belief burning bright inside him, it was a flame that had been joined so swiftly by others that sometimes he felt as if it were all a dream and he'd wake up, lonely, unseen and wandering the forests again. Jack couldn't be happier, and yet... He shook the thoughts away. He was a Guardian. He'd thought that he'd get used to all this after about a year, but the sheer wonder and joy he experienced from it all day after day had not died down as he had expected it to. Oh it wasn't always on his mind, but it was simmering in the back of it, just waiting for something to happen that would remind him of it or... waiting for something to happen to shatter the illusion that things were peaceful for once.

Jack wasn't sure why he was here, but he found himself back at the cave in Antarctica that he knew was the entrance to Pitch's home. He hesitated before deciding that his subconscious had drawn him here because he had questions and only Pitch had the answers. Taking a deep breath he decided it best not to tarry and ducked into the cave, this time he remembered not to walk inside and floated into the lair he remembered. He saw that Fearlings were darting about the place, they didn't make any sort of move towards him but they were watching. As if they expected him to suddenly do something, like attack them; there was a Nightmare standing next to the globe. He could see the reins around her and remembered that it was the Nightmare that Pitch had chosen to ride... at least he thought it might be the same Nightmare. She acknowledged his presence with a snort, but didn't actually move from where she was.

"Hey girl." He said softly, wondering if he really should be approaching the Nightmare as if she were a normal horse. The Nightmare tossed her head, letting out a soft nicker but when didn't seem to respond as he placed a hand on her nose. He wasn't too surprised at the quick sliver of fear that jolted through him from touching her, but it wasn't anything he couldn't shrug off. He'd never actually touched any of the Nightmares the year before... well, at least not directly.

"Where's Pitch, eh?" This elected a response, the Nightmare trotted past him then looked over at him and tossed her head in the direction she'd been going, as if expecting him to follow.

"I don't think I've been that way before... will you show me?" The response was a soft snort, which he took as an affirmation before she began to slowly make her way across the bridge down to an archway that led to one of the many tunnels in the lair.

Jack really had no idea where the Nightmare was taking him, the last time he'd been anywhere in Pitch's lair had been utterly confusing and topsy turvy as the shadows had tossed him about in no particular direction, not allowing him to ever get his bearings to know where he was in relation to the exit; Pitch had been toying with him then, that was also before he'd had his memories. The tunnel was dark and he could hear the soft whispers of the Fearlings all around him, it made him cringe to hear it.

 _Jack! Help me!_ Jack flinched as if he'd been struck, it was Jamie's voice.

 _Jack please!_

 _Help us mate!_

 _We need help!_

 _JACK!_ Each voice followed the first... He knew it wasn't real, that it wasn't Tooth or North... or even Bunny calling out to him... or any of the kids as their voices rang around him. His heart pounded as he followed the Nightmare, he'd no doubt that if it hadn't been for her that he'd have been engulfed by the Fearlings and by his own fears. The Nightmare stopped before an ornate door, stamping her hoof. Jack looked at the door as the Fearlings quieted and slunk away; there was a soft glow of light from beneath the wooden door, he lightly put his hand to the wood, frost crept from his fingers and wound itself around the intricate swirling patterns that encased it. In its own way, it was a work of art and that struck Jack as odd. Why would something, that would be so beautifully crafted, be down here in Pitch's lair of all places? He just couldn't see the Nightmare King bothering with something like art, but obviously he had. Just as the homes of the Guardians were places that reflected them, Pitch's lair would reflect him... Jack began to wonder if maybe there was more than what the Guardians had said to him about Pitch, which was - now that he thought of it - next to nothing. He'd assumed Pitch was how he'd been when he'd been trying to take over the world with his Nightmares, but there was that one moment in Antarctica that crept into his mind. Pitch had been vulnerable then... or had least seemed it. For that one moment in time... Pitch had seemed so approachable, almost likeable... so... understanding. Jack knew that Pitch had a lot in common with him, and the things that he had in common with the Nightmare King were the very same things the Guardians could never fully understand or appreciate. He fingered the carved handle before opening the door.

If Jack could read minds, he'd quickly find out he had more in common with the Nightmare King than he originally thought. Pitch was sitting in a cushioned chair before a fireplace that crackled. Behind him was a desk with a wooden chair that was less comfortable, but this chair was what Pitch prefered when he did his reading. He wasn't truly reading the book before him, a book on fairy tales humans had come up with in regards to encounters with fae. Though he stared at the words, his mind was flashing back to the last time he'd seen Jack Frost. Jack had certainly been afraid of him then, with the things he had found coming out of his mouth; he'd never thought before to say such things to anyone since before the darkness had overtaken him and the fear he'd gotten from Jack had been very potent indeed and had nearly made him tipsy over it. For him, it was like drinking a fine wine that hadn't had any of its purities taken from it. Pitch had relished the sweetness of the fear of children, but the fear that had come from Jack was something like he'd never known before and it was very much intoxicating and the more he'd taken from the Guardian the more he wanted. He'd gotten very, very close before the Guardian had managed to find his wits to elude him before he'd actually put action to his words. He had to admit it had been pure amusement at first that had led him to tease the frost spirit, but after that... Well, it was something he hadn't done in so long he'd almost forgotten what it could be like. Oh he knew very well the physical pleasure of the body, he might have been old but he wasn't a saint nor had he ever been. Still, it had been far too long since he had thought about such things and Jack was so innocent... It was like a moth to a flame. He had wanted, if he were honest with himself, to pull the Guardian into his private chambers and teach him the pleasures the darkness could bring. He was startled from his thoughts as he heard the soft whisper of the door moving, it didn't creak like old wood but it did softly scrape against the floor and he realized he wasn't alone. The nervousness he felt of the intruder was familiar, however, and he knew immediately that it was the Guardian of his thoughts who had interrupted his musings. What did the Guardian of fun want now? He didn't move, didn't care to as Jack shut the door behind him.

"Pitch?" Pitch considered not answering, just to see if the Guardian would think maybe he'd been misled, considering the chair fully hid him from view and he knew it. He dismissed the idea, however, and the book in his hand thumped close. He rose slowly and set the book on the chair before turning to face Jack. His expression blank of anything short of a steely look as he regarded the Guardian. He wasn't about to reveal anything of his thoughts to Jack, as a formal general of an army he knew too well that emotions could very well be weakness; even if they weren't weakness in and of themselves. He set the book on the armrest of the chair as he faced the young Guardian.

"What do you want, Frost?" Jack nearly winced, wondering where all of his courage suddenly went. Why was he back to using his last name again?

"I just had some questions." Pitch didn't say anything, merely waiting to see what the Guardian would say.

"Who was that girl... in the locket."

"None of your business."

"She was important to you, wasn't she?" Pitch didn't dignify that with an answer, but he supposed that the answer was in his eyes nonetheless as Jack nodded a little.

"I... wish I could have met her... I mean, she looked sweet... was she your daughter?" Shock flickered over Pitch's face a moment and in that brief moment Jack knew he'd hit the nail on the head with that one.

"Look, you don't need to hide it."

"I don't see that you need to know about it." Pitch gritted out, rather unhappy that Jack seemed to have correctly guessed the first time. Jack seemed to sigh, it was clear he wasn't here to pick a fight; especially not the way he was leaning against his staff the way he was, like it was a crutch instead of the weapon that channeled the Guardian's power. Pitch was silent as he regarded the frost spirit before him.

"Why did you come here?"

"I wanted answers."

"That isn't what I meant. Why did you bother coming the first time?" Jack pondered that one a moment, why had he? He considered it a moment, it was one of the many questions he'd asked himself before coming in a second time. Sure the first time had been an accident, he hadn't meant to fall into Pitch's lair, but if he was honest with himself he'd also kind of been looking for it. Well, not actively, it just had been in the back of his mind; he'd been... worried? No... not that exactly.

"I... don't really know. I don't think that you deserved that fate... being alone.. or forgotten." Pitch snorted.

"Sentiment. A weakness that got the other Guardians in trouble before if you remember." Jack narrowed his eyes.

"Maybe so, but as I recall it also is what was your downfall." Jack straightened as he spoke, pointing his staff at Pitch. He'd no intention of just attacking. He wasn't like Pitch, he needed a reason, but the boogeyman hadn't given him one just yet.

"Your curiosity, Frost, is going to get you into trouble one of these days and the Guardians aren't going to be able to protect you."

"I get by well enough on my own."

"Do you now?" Pitch's lips twitched slightly, Jack shifted a little uncomfortably as he wasn't sure what the boogeyman was getting at and he didn't like the sudden look that he was getting from the other. It reminded him of last time...

"Did you really just come all this way to poke your nose in my past?" Jack took a step back, not because of the way Pitch was looking at him so much as because he felt a shiver run up his spine that was a LOT like what he'd felt before. Pitch didn't step forward, but he did raise an eyebrow.

"I..." Pitch smirked a little when Jack found himself at a loss for words.

"I wonder... is there another reason perhaps? Something you want and yet you didn't allow yourself to have the first time?" Jack felt his face heat up, he swallowed nervously, but that didn't ease the lump he felt in his throat. Pitch circled around him.

"W-what are you talking about?!"

"Oh come now Jack, I can sense other things besides fear... Or didn't your Guardians tell you that? You're like an open book." Jack's heart was pounding now, he felt like he was going to simply collapse. What was wrong with him?! Why was Pitch doing this?!

"W-why are you doing this?" He managed, fumbling a little.

"Haven't you figured it out yet?" Jack shook his head mutely, he wanted to know the answer, but at the same time he feared what that answer might be; what it would lead to... Pitch chuckled, vanishing into the shadows. Jack whipped around, trying to see where the boogeyman had disappeared to but wasn't too surprised when he heard Pitch's voice right next to his ear.

"Your fear is irresistible, Jack." The purr in Pitch's voice made Jack shudder and not, to his immediate dismay, in disgust. He should have been repulsed by what Pitch was suggesting, but a part of him was crying out to take what was being offered to him. Jack wavered even as he spun around, but the boogeyman had vanished again. Jack began to back out of the room. He wasn't so sure he wanted to play this game with Pitch. Especially not since he could see that there was little power lost, oh he'd figured Pitch wasn't as powerful as he'd been when he'd taken down the Guardians and certainly no where near what power he'd had when Jamie had defied him and turned his Nightmares back into dreamsand. Still, Jack was wary, it would be unwise to underestimate his foe. Jack yelped when he took a step back only to end up falling through the shadows; Pitch's laughter following him. To his utter shock he found himself dumped on something silky smooth which, to his embarrassment and utter horror, he realized was a bed.

The bed was black as night, but there was no headboard, it was simply a mattress draped in black and dark gray silks. Jack scrambled off the bed even as Pitch appeared from the shadows that were cast by the fireplace on the other side of the room a few feet away from the end of the bed. Jack's heart was hammering now, his face flushed; something in him was screaming to get out of there as fast as he could, but there was an equally loud part of him that was tugging him back towards the bed. _Who cared if Pitch was the Nightmare King? Who would know? It didn't matter... all that mattered was getting what he wanted... what he desired... and wouldn't someone like Pitch know just how to give it to him?_ Jack felt his breath hitch as he pressed himself against the wall, glancing wildly for an exit but there didn't seem to be a door to this room. Jack began to feel a deep fear... there was no where to go... Pitch had him cornered... A part of him screamed that this was a bloody nightmare, that he never should have come... The other part, the one fighting for his attention, was purring like a feline; enjoying the fact that he was cornered... knowing he could easily be overpowered by the numerous Fearlings and Nightmare Men so that Pitch could do as he pleased... Jack watched as he approached. Squeezing his eyes closed tight for a moment at that last thought. He didn't realize it until now, but he'd been panting; he felt the stirring in his loins and he wanted to be anywhere but here... Pitch didn't seem in any hurry as he walked towards Jack. The Guardian clutched his staff in front of him, as if it could protect him while he protected it in turn. Pitch stopped dangerously close, a breath's length away from pressing his lips to Jack's, there seemed to be something in those golden ellipses that sent a shudder through Jack; a shudder of desire.

"You fear what might happen... Of what you think will." Pitch lightly stroked one finger down Jack's cheek as he spoke.

"Such a pretty little frost spirit you are... Oh no, Jack... I can assure you of one thing. If this happens it won't be against your will... I'm not that kind of monster." Even as Jack felt relief on that score flow through him, he also felt ... disappointed?! By the Man in the Moon what was going on?! Jack hoped his unexpected desire would fade, but it didn't seem to want to; didn't cool as Pitch lightly traced his lips with a single finger. In fact, just that seemed to make it all the more worse.

"As I said before... your fear is intoxicating... "

"Why?" Jack managed to squeak, blushing furiously at the fact that his voice had been anything but steady.

"That's the question now isn't it? Why indeed." Pitch leaned away from him, his hand dropping, but the dangerous smile on his face didn't seem to waver.

"You're more afraid of the answer of that question because you know the Guardians would never approve... never really listen if you ever told them. They don't really understand you, do they Jack?" It was more of a statement than a question.

"They haven't had to live through what you and I have. They fell apart in a single night without their precious believers... but you and I... we've had centuries of this." Jack couldn't disagree there, if anything Pitch did understand him better than the Guardians... but Pitch didn't care about him, didn't have his best interests at heart. Jack's eyes narrowed, Pitch had only wanted to use him, to use his power and that's what he figured now. He pushed aside the simmering desire he felt.

"Oh? Think I have some big plan I'm not telling you about? Believe it or not Jack, I'm not the one you should be worrying about."

"Then who?"

"Oh Jack... you really _are_ naive. Don't tell me you don't know about all the other spirits that live around."

"Yeah... but what's that got to do with anything?"

"Nothing... and everything." Jack frowned, he didn't like that answer. Pitch chuckled.

"Perhaps you should take some of your own advice Jack."

"Which is what?"

"Cool down." Jack felt himself falling through another shadow and was surprised to find himself dumped in the snow on the surface. He was back in Antarctica. Jack felt frustration well inside, Pitch WAS toying with him! And heavens be cursed he'd let him! He'd been overwhelmed yet again... except this time he'd almost given in to that other voice in his mind.

"I must really be losing it..." He muttered and flew off towards the North Pole.


	4. Uneasy Companions

Jack sat in the snow for what seemed like eternity and no time at all. He wasn't sure he was ready to actually see North yet; especially not so soon after his encounter with Pitch. He had landed on a snowbank that was out of sight of the yetis who stood as guards at the massive, colored doors that led to the workshop. The colors of Christmas decorated the door as they did everything in and outside of North's workshop. It was both a place of work and home, though that was hard to tell and even with the distance he was he could still hear faintly the noises of yetis at work inside. Jack fell back into the snow with a sigh. What was he going to do about Pitch? He could scarcely wrap his head around why the Nightmare King was toying with him in such a manner; sure he'd tried to toy with Jack's emotions in Antarctica the year he'd tried taking over the world, but that was a whole different story. Pitch had been trying to recruit him to help him take over the world, but this... This wasn't at all like that. What under the moon could make the Nightmare King act like THAT to him of all people? The longer he thought about the reaction he had, the more he wondered about it; Pitch had been here longer than he had, even longer than the other Guardians... that much he knew from listening idly when North and Bunny had been discussing the matter of Pitch once. They'd been arguing about whether or not he'd return... and that had been only a month or two after Pitch's sound defeat. Feeling more like himself, his desire having faded, Jack decided to go inside and talk to North. He needed someone who could understand him and North was good at that... or at least at trying and sympathizing. Tooth cared, but she was too busy with her work and sometimes as flighty as the bird she sorta looked like; Bunny, there was no way he'd talk to Bunny about this. The Pooka's opinion of him wasn't ideal as it was, he didn't need a lecture, which was what he was pretty sure he'd get. Sandy, who was more understanding than perhaps North... well Jack just couldn't understand him well. Oh he figured out the jist of what the smaller Guardian said most of the time, but a lot of it was vague to him. He wasn't sure why, when he could perfectly understand the children around the world who spoke in so many different languages yet Sandy's symbolic language seemed to escape his grasp.

Jack shoved it out of his mind as he landed before the yetis. They glanced at him before glancing away, not really taking time to pay much attention to him. They knew who he was and weren't likely to give him any problems.

"What? Not happy to see me? You guys need to chill more often." The yetis didn't look at him, but one of them rolled their eyes at Jack's words, causing him to grin a little as he opened the door and let himself in. The bustle of the workshop was business as usual and the noise of it was familiar. Jack snagged a cookie from a plate that an elf was hurrying to get on a higher level of the workshop, he followed the elf as he assumed that the plate was going to wherever North was. He wasn't disappointed to find the other Guardian in some sort of meeting room that had a long table that allowed many guests, but most of the chairs were empty. North was sitting at one end, Bunny was lounging to his left with Tooth next to him, Sandy sat on North's right.

"I'm saying is not like him." North was saying as Jack came in.

"Jack!" Tooth was the first to spot him, she hopped up from her seat and flew over to him to hug him as she normally did. Jack returned the hug with a smile before letting her go so she could return to her seat; which she promptly did. The others turned to him, Sandy waved excitedly at seeing Jack, North grinned from ear to ear and even Bunny smiled a little.

"Hey mate, been wondering where you've been. Thought you were caught up in business down south."

"You could say that. What, did I miss something? I didn't see North's lights." Then again, how long had Jack been in Pitch's lair? He wasn't sure... and it was possible he'd missed the signal altogether while Pitch was- He shook the thoughts away before they could finish, knowing that it would rile him up likely and that was _not_ something he wanted to explain to the others.

"Not much mate, just Pitch making trouble again."

"I say is not his style." North argued as Jack nibbled on his stolen cookie as he took a seat near Bunnymund.

"What do you mean?" Jack asked, as if he hadn't just seen Pitch within the last half hour.

"On top of disappearances there have been... strange goings on." North replied.

"Normally we don't worry about adults, but a lot o' the older kids been passin' out in the middle of the day. It worries me." Bunny said.

"What does that have to do with Pitch?" Jack asked, several images flashed over Sandy's head.

 _I found black sand._ Jack didn't say anything for a moment, but that explained a lot. A helluva lot, considering that he'd been so... strong when Jack had confronted him both times. Jack frowned a little, debating on what he should actually tell them about what he knew...

"I guess that makes sense... I've... seen him."

"What?!" Bunny seemed the most shocked out of the other Guardians, all of them looking both surprised and concerned.

"What do you mean Jack? What you not say?" North asked. Jack didn't want to get into that entirely but he sighed.

"I accidently fell into his lair. I wasn't looking for it while I was making some blizzards down south." Why didn't he just tell them where the entrance was? This seemed to baffle him, but he continued.

"He looked... healthy I guess you could say, but no where near strong enough to actually be a threat. I had no problem beating him back." That, at least, was partly true. He'd had no trouble there until -

"What's up with you mate? You gone all red." Bunny asked suddenly, startling Jack from his sudden thoughts.

"It's n-nothing. Really."

"Are you feeling alright?" Tooth asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Honest." He smiled at them, even if he was flushed red; he was being honest, at least in this sense. There was no way he was going to tell them what Pitch had done in the two times he'd seen him; he'd die of embarrassment if they ever found out. He didn't worry that Pitch would tell, he was pretty sure the Nightmare King wasn't just going to flaunt something like that out in the open. Not that gender mattered much since spirits didn't reproduce like mortals, every spirit had its own way of coming about and the circumstances of such would dictate what sort of spirit that they would be.

"How long ago was this?" North asked after a moment of silence.

"Well... a couple days ago."

"And you didn't say anything to us? That ain't like you mate." Jack shrugged, it wasn't that he hadn't thought of it, but he realized that things were... complicated. How was he going to explain to them the way he'd been treated the last couple of times he'd seen Pitch? It was embarrassing enough having to _deal_ with his own thoughts on the matter let alone speak it aloud.

"I... guess I was distracted."

"By what?" Tooth asked.

"Did you know he had a daughter?" There was silence, no one answered but it was Sandy who shook his head; several images flashed above his head then but a lot of them were ones Jack couldn't really understand though he thought he got the jest of it.

"So, correct me if I'm wrong, but you knew about this Sandy?" The other Guardians turned the gazes to the smaller Guardian who nodded solemnly before going on.

 _We both came from the stars. I knew of him before he was taken by the Fearlings._ The others nodded thoughtfully.

"Yes, he was great warrior. So I heard." North commented, stroking his beard thoughtfully. Jack was just grateful that the other Guardians didn't seem to be mad that he hadn't told them earlier about Pitch.

"If Pitch is behind these things with the older kids, could he maybe be behind the disappearances too? I wouldn't put it past the bloke."

"No." The sureness of Jack's answer drew everyone's attention to him.

"I... He's not like that. I mean, yes he does cause Nightmares, but think about it. When has he EVER done anything to actually harm humans?" North looked very uneasy at that.

"Wait, are you saying..." He said as he glanced from one of his friends to the next.

"Pitch... he had more power, different sort of power when he was not here. Things on Earth work different."

"I'll say they do mate. I'd be only too 'appy to strangle him for what he did to my people." Bunny put in. Jack wasn't sure what to think. Pitch had... killed? It didn't seem like the Nightmare King, not at all! Still, there seemed to be something of truth ringing in it, but he knew that there was only one way to be entirely sure that what the others were saying was true and not just some old grudge. Not that he didn't trust the others, he just knew too well how past impressions of someone could easily color one's view of the present. He'd seen and experienced that first hand with Bunny. He wasn't sure he could imagine what Pitch had done before he'd come to Earth, but at least it seemed that the kids would be safe from him. At least the younger ones, the older ones though... Jack wasn't sure how he felt about that as he stuck his hands into his hoodie pocket. He stood up abruptly, earning questioning looks from the others.

"I... need a chance to think some things over." No one said anything more as he walked out of the workshop and flew off. He didn't know he was heading to the cave that was the entrance to Pitch's lair until he was standing on the ice frosted stones that marked its entrance. Hadn't he just run from here moments before? He felt his face begin to heat, but he pushed it down. He needed answers and he was determined to get them, one way or another...

"PITCH!" Jack yelled when he stood in the room with the globe, ignoring the Fearlings that danced along the walls. There was no real sound, though he saw several Nightmares appear from the shadows, observing him but not bothering to get closer. The shade didn't appear and Jack frowned.

"PITCH! I know you're here somewhere!" He called out, rather loudly. Pitch appeared from a nearby shadow, an irritated scowl on his face.

"Don't you have somewhere else to be? One would think you're trying my patience in terms of keeping _them_ back." Jack didn't need to ask to know that Pitch was talking about the Fearlings that clammered along the walls and ceiling now. Jack glanced around, there were so many now... he started to feel a little bit of fear.

"Why are you here?" Jack wanted to know that himself, he'd obviously come here for a reason, but whatever that reason was it seemed to desert him. Pitch raised an eyebrow at him, waiting for a response. When Jack didn't offer one immediately he shook his head a little.

"Come on, then." Jack blinked, startled out of his thoughts but he quickly followed the NIghtmare King to the room he remembered last seeing Pitch in when he'd come in the last time. Pitch sat down at the desk, there was a book lying open there along with some ink and a quill. The writing there was something that Jack had never seen and couldn't read, which surprised him. Curiosity got the better of him, Pitch resumed his seat behind the desk and Jack moved forward; his feeling of curiosity overwhelmed any other feeling he had for the Nightmare King as he stirred up a breeze so he could alight on one of the armrests, looking over Pitch's shoulder.

"Do you mind, Frost?" There was irritation in Pitch's tone.

"What language is that? I've never seen it." He said, all but ignoring Pitch's irritation, which seemed to just irk the shade more.

"It's the language from where I came from." Jack hummed as he studied the strange symbols; he couldn't make heads or tails of what was written.

"What exactly is that?"

"A journal. An old habit."

"From before?" Jack asked, wondering suddenly how he'd become so comfortable with Pitch to be so close and not want to fight him as... He trailed off, when had he stopped thinking of Pitch as his enemy? Jack shook the question away, he wasn't sure why but it just felt that Pitch really wasn't his enemy, that he was... well, Jack wasn't sure _what_ he was anymore. He couldn't say Pitch was his friend, but he definitely wasn't acting as he had a year before.

"What's her name?" Jack blurted out suddenly. He was thinking of the locket now. The sudden question made Pitch pause in his writings. For a moment, Pitch seemed to freeze utterly before he began to relax again.

"Seraphina." Jack was quiet after that, he felt that there was something ... almost companionable about the silence that fell between them. Jack wondered how often he thought of his daughter, but didn't ask. He didn't want to intrude into Pitch's personal life more than he had, and the first time had been an accident. As he sat there, watching Pitch write down some things in the lunar language, he caught a brief glimpse of gold out of the corner of his eye and realized it was the locket; Pitch was wearing it around his neck again. He wondered if the boogeyman ever took it off, but then decided against asking, knowing how precious the small locket was to Pitch. In the stillness, Jack's mind began to wander; why was there this odd peace between the two? Shouldn't they be trying to kill each other like normal? Then again, the last two visits... Jack flushed as he recalled some of the things that had been said to him. Those visits had been _anything_ but normal... and yet, him perched on the armrest that Pitch wasn't using seemed almost normal as anything. Pitch wasn't telling him to leave, but he wasn't saying those weird things to him either; it was like he was there, but wasn't. Jack sort of liked this feeling, he wasn't sure why. It sort of reminded him of a painting he'd seen once, of children huddled around their father as he read a story to them before a roaring fireplace while stars sparkled out the window. Jack felt a longing ache in him, the desire for a family, hit him full force. He didn't noticed that Pitch had stopped writing or that his breath had hitched up, Pitch set the quill in the ink and turned to Jack. His expression unreadable as he stared at the frost spirit next to him, before Jack knew it, Pitch had pulled him from his perch and was cradling him. Jack's heart pounded, as much from the ache he felt as to the sudden awkwardness of being held by the Nightmare King. He looked into Pitch's eyes, he couldn't really see anything different as far as expressions went, but he could have sworn he'd seen something flicker in the golden orbs. Without much thought, wanting to escape the ache he felt in his heart, the loneliness that came from being unseen for so long... Jack buried his face into Pitch's robe, much to the surprise of the shade; he felt his heart quicken, but he said nothing and neither did Jack. Instinctively Jack curled up against Pitch, just wanting so desperately for his heart to stop hurting... for... something... Even as he did so, he felt something stirring besides the ache of loneliness in his heart; something he'd not really bothered to notice before.

Jack didn't notice when Pitch stood and the shadows engulfed the two. He'd whisked them away through the shadows back to the bedroom. Jack just seemed content to stay close, his eyes closed; he was trying not to cry out, Pitch settled on the bed after setting Jack's staff against the wall nearby, still cradling Jack though he shifted so that he was propped up against the wall with a pillow. Jack's whole body seemed to tremor, as if scared, but Pitch knew better. He lightly slid one hand through the boy's hair, gently; he did so again when he noticed that Jack's trembling seemed to subside and a calm seemed to come over the boy. Pitch nearly sighed, he'd finally gotten Jack to stay in his bed, but this was not what he'd had in mind. Pitch could scarcely remember, even before the nightmares had taken over him, when he'd offered any sort of comfort to another being. Jack seemed to calm down after a while and drifted off into a deep slumber. It was only by Pitch's will that the shadows stayed away from this room, it was a sanctuary of sorts and he didn't like intrusions. He watched the frost spirit sleep, he'd felt the aching loneliness from Jack the moment it had slammed into him; it had been like a wave washing over Pitch and he'd reacted. He didn't mind Jack's fear, in fact he relished it more than anything, but he didn't at all like the aching longing and loneliness that he'd sensed. He frowned as he considered that Jack shouldn't be feeling this anymore, as much as Pitch detested the Guardians, they were there for Jack even if they could not fully understand him. They didn't understand Pitch either, that was one reason he hated the Guardians with such a passion; he had come before them, had been doing just fine in terms of keeping children safe and then the Man in the Moon had decided to interfere and created the Guardians whose abilities to spread wonder, hope, dreams and light had left him all but powerless. Oh he didn't disappear completely, but he had lost a lot of control in terms of terrifying children and he had hated the Guardians for it. They had tipped the balance he'd so precariously kept, he'd vowed to return the balance and had spent 300 years planning and gathering his strength. He would have won too had it not been for Jack Frost. He looked down at the sleeping Guardian, he was far too trusting. Pitch sighed a little, Jack's rejection to join him in maintaining balance had stung and it still did a little; even so, he couldn't muster up the energy to ever hate him. He knew the boy that Jack had been before he'd become the Guardian of Fun, he'd been delighted at first, that Jack had been brought back. He'd been surprised later when he'd seen Jack with the other Guardians and had wondered if they'd turned Jack against him so easily, but Jack had rejected the idea of being "chummy" with the other Guardians... He'd felt hope then that he could convince Jack to help him, especially since the other's power didn't need the support of believers to exist. He'd seen that much for himself though he'd rarely actually done much interaction with Jack, he'd been mostly too busy gathering Nightmares. He hadn't seen the full strength of Jack's wintery powers though until he'd attacked the Guardians after succeeding in engulfing the Sandman into his dark dreamsand. That had set Jack off, Pitch hadn't been prepared for the power and it had thrown him to the ground mercilessly. It was when he'd regained himself that he'd come up with his plan to lure Jack away from the other Guardians and convince him to join him; it hadn't worked, but his Nightmares had at least succeeded in ruining Easter and he'd taken down one more Guardian. He hadn't counted on the boy that had become Jack's first believer, though; the kid had boldly stood up to him, proclaiming he believed in him but that he didn't fear him. That had been his downfall.

He watched Jack sleep, thinking of how brave this spirit-boy was, to have spent so long on his own and not lost sight of his center. Pitch himself, he reflected, had lost sight of his own center when he'd been gathering his strength again. He knew he'd messed up in trying to restore the balance, but he wondered if Jack realized that he and the other Guardians had also messed up. Was that why Jack was here now and alone? Had he said _nothing_ to the others about seeing Pitch? About the fact that, after months of fighting off his own fears and Nightmares, that the boogeyman was back at work? Were the Guardians so blinded by their intent to take him down that they had gone too far? Pitch sighed quietly, not like he would have been reasoned with at that point of time and he knew it; he'd been blinded by revenge and his hurt from Jack's rejection. He'd not realized, until he was back in his lair after his defeat, what a fool they had all been. Children needed to believe in the Guardians, but they also needed the fear of dangerous things that Pitch brought into their lives. Though he'd never admit to such, he _was_ a Guardian himself; the first in fact as it had only been when he'd crashed on this planet had he began to regain himself. His real self had clammered to the surface beneath the power of the Shadows when the Fearlings had been unable to so much as touch early humans; they'd needed his intellect, he'd forced his way into control and had figured out a way to use the Fearlings to inspire fear, which they had happily fed off of. They'd allowed him control of them because they _needed_ him. The fear of them from the fae had been too little to sustain them, only the fear of human children was enough to sate their hunger. As he lightly threaded his fingers through the silvery white hair, he felt something tug at him, at the heart he'd thought had been broken and consumed by darkness long ago.

Jack slowly began to stir, he wondered at the feeling; the fingers through his hair were so gentle that he felt completely safe and... cherished. No one had ever paid attention to Jack like this. None of the Guardians or any of the few fae he'd come across in his 300 years. He kept his eyes closed, his mind still foggy from sleep; he pressed into the touch, he had no words for what this simple act did for him. It was like ice over a burn, stealing away any pain he'd felt before; he didn't want the sensation to ever leave. When the hand withdrew, however, Jack's eyes fluttered open and he looked up to see Pitch was looking back at him with an unreadable expression. Jack's eyes lit with confusion, why had he stopped? Why had he even done it to begin with? Didn't Pitch hate him, like the other Guardians? He considered this a moment as he gazed up into the amber orbs that seemed to be studying him, as if waiting for some sudden reaction... as if waiting to see what Jack would do. As he studied the eyes before him he realized they weren't purely gold, there was a hint of silver woven in them and it reminded Jack of snow... He didn't move. What was he doing here? He realized he was back on Pitch's bed, snuggled up to the very shade that he'd fought with all his being the year before. There had been such anger as Pitch had tried to beat him and the other Guardians, but... he remembered vaguely that there had also been other emotions he'd seen in those orbs with Pitch's defeat. He didn't see anything of that now as he simply returned the other's gaze. There were many questions in Jack's head, but the most persistent of them being why did this feel so right? He watched Pitch, waiting for the other to shove him away or something, but it didn't happen. Instead, after a long moment, Pitch gently stroked his cheek with one finger and Jack's eyes instantly closed. He wanted this, he couldn't deny it... couldn't fool himself even if he couldn't admit to the why. The touch was so gentle, Jack sighed in pure delighted wonder of it as it was followed up by other fingers lightly tracing his face; as if trying to memorize its texture and every line. Jack knew he shouldn't want this, shouldn't even be this close to Pitch let alone allowing such touch that was, at once so caring and loving. His breath caught in his throat, did Pitch... ? It was very hard to think of Pitch feeling anything other than hatred and anger, but then again he'd seen the sincerity in the boogeyman's face when he'd spoken of longing for a family.

Pitch wasn't certain why he'd been compelled to touch the Guardian, he just had. He felt as if this were a dream; as if he'd wake up any moment now and he'd be utterly alone in this room, that Jack wasn't nestled against him. That the Guardian hated him still and wanted nothing to do with him, that Jack wasn't really accepting the light, affectionate touch. There was no way this could be real, even if it wasn't real he didn't want it to end. He could spend the rest of his existence this way, just being here with Jack. The sound of the boy's breath hitching stirred something else in him, but he pushed it away. He didn't want to scare the boy anymore than he wanted this reality to shatter as he knew it would eventually. He wasn't sure what he felt for the boy, but he knew he felt _something_ and that something wasn't just going to go away.

"Jack." Pitch said, before he could stop himself, drawing the young Guardian's attention to him. Pitch met his eyes, the haziness in the boy's eyes clearing, letting him know that he had interrupted the boy's own thoughts.

"You can't tell the Guardians about this." Jack blinked.

"Why not?"

"They wouldn't understand." Jack seemed about to protest, but Pitch spoke again before he could.

"I have been fighting with them since before you were born. They have always fought against my shadows, my Nightmares are only the latest edition to my arsonal. It took me several hundred years to sculpt dreamsand into my Nightmares. The Sandman isn't going to forgive me for that for a good long while and I've no doubt the Guardians haven't forgotten my mistake of last year. They aren't as forgiving as you are, Jack." Jack didn't argue, instead a sigh escaped him.

"I guess you're right." After a moment he seemed to tense as he looked around the room wildly before he spotted his staff behind him; he relaxed then, seeing it setting against the wall within reach. He then looked at Pitch questioningly, as if he were really seeing the boogeyman for the first time as he propped himself up on the pillows next to the shade. Pitch sighed, seeing the unvoiced question in the Guardian's eyes.

"I'm sorry about what I did that year Jack. I didn't want to hurt you, but I was... angry and hurt by your rejection. I knew I couldn't have you interfering while I took down the Guardians..." There was bitterness in his last word.

"I regret doing that... but I needed you out of the way. You're not like the other Guardians, Jack." Jack felt a shiver go up his spine at the way the other had said his name.

"Yeah, I guess I'm not."

"In more ways than you know. I might not be on the best terms with the Man in the Moon, but I know that the power he gave you is not like he gave the other Guardians." Jack thought about that a moment before nodding. It was true, he realized, Jack didn't need believers to be able to bring snow or frost to the world. He'd been doing that for 300 years without a single soul believing in his existence beyond the Guardians, who'd barely acknowledged him before he'd been chosen, or the occasional fae he'd come across during his travels; though meeting any sort of fae had been far and few between, even when he'd spent months in Ireland, where supposedly there were fae of every type... he'd only gotten a glimpse of a handful... five at the most if he remembered right.

"As much as I hate to say this... He gave you a rare gift, Jack, and that could be why he has never spoken with you." Jack blinked.

"What do you mean?"

"The Man in the Moon has been giving his powers away ever since the first Guardian. He is alone up there, looking down here; a silent guardian to this planet. He gave you so much of his power that even I couldn't speak with him for several hundred years after you were brought back."

"I... never thought of it like that. I always thought- I mean... I assumed there was a reason he never told me anything other than my name but-" Jack cut himself off again, understanding dawning in his eyes. Pitch ruffled his hair ruefully and Jack grinned up at him, Pitch swore his heart skipped a beat. It was too easy to like Jack, too easy to enjoy his company... and he knew, better than anyone would, just how dangerous it would be for him to get too close to the young Guardian.

"Pitch?" He shifted his gaze from the boy, realizing that Jack must have seen something there; in his eyes, his expression. He could feel the boy's concern, he shook his head in response.

"It's nothing." Jack felt a little surprised and... disappointed? at hearing the words he'd tossed at the Guardians before coming here reflected back at him. He wasn't sure exactly how he felt about that, but he didn't press the issue. He knew he wouldn't want to be pressed so if Pitch wasn't going to tell him then he wasn't going to ask further about it. Instead, he simply lay back down, this time he stared at the ceiling; he started to get the feeling that something about the room was missing. He sat up on his elbows again, glancing around, noticing every shadow that was cast in the room by the fireplace, but everything seemed... normal.

"Looking for something?"

"Yeah... I..." He turned to Pitch, perplexed.

"There aren't any Nightmares or Fearlings here... are there?" Pitch smiled slightly and Jack felt his breath hitch at the sight. He was wondering if he'd ever see Pitch smile again, it had been so long since that time in Antarctica...

"No. I prefer it that way. This place is my sanctuary, the Shadows stay away at my command. We are, truly, all alone here." Jack had only suspected as much, but hearing it made his heart beat faster.


	5. Cahal

Jack had to tear his gaze from the other, he was surprised at what he was feeling.

"You're nervous." It wasn't a question from the other, he was _very_ nervous, borderlining scared at what might happen. At what it meant to be here... alone... with Pitch... and in a bed nonetheless. His heart hammered, but the other didn't make any move to touch him despite the taunts he'd sent Jack's way the past two times. Pitch closed his eyes, he could sense the fear that was starting to clammer in Jack and he reveled in it; it was deliciously sweet with its own wintry taste, as he imagined Jack would taste if he ventured to run tongue along the snowy white skin. Jack didn't deny it, he knew at this point that there was no point in trying; Pitch could read his emotions like he could read a book. It was something that made him all the more nervous and uneasy, knowing that Pitch could sense that didn't make things any better. Actually, it just made things a little worse in his mind and the more he considered it the warmer his cheeks felt. Why was he so easily embarrassed when it came to Pitch? It didn't happen with Tooth, and she was the closest to him among all the Guardians and it certainly didn't happen when she hugged him. It was true that Pitch was the only one who had spoken suggestively towards him, but he wasn't doing so now. In fact, he didn't seem inclined to and as much as Jack wanted to know the why behind the last two visits, he didn't dare breach the subject. It just seemed too personal and he didn't know or trust Pitch enough for that... not yet. After a moment, the blush faded and Jack lay back down again, staring up at the ceiling in thought. Pitch was content to let him drift off in his thoughts, content to simply stay at the boy's side; he had been plenty forthright in the last two visits and had all but chased the boy off. He was almost sure he'd scared him too badly the last time, but here he was again.

"Why? Why do you keep coming back?" Pitch asked after a moment. Jack glanced over at him, but he was looking at the fire.

"Because... I don't think what happened to you was fair... No one should have to feel lonely... to feel like they are unwanted in the world." Jack's voice became quiet as he continued.

"I lived for 300 years being lonely, no one should ever have to feel like they are invisible to the world. No one should ever _be_ that invisible." He felt a little better at seeing the edges of Pitch's mouth turn up at his answer. It was only brief, but he was getting the idea that whoever Pitch had been before, the man he'd been in his life before the Shadows, he'd been a private person but not a cold individual.

"I... I wish I could have known you, before the Shadows." Jack said after a moment.

"So do I." Pitch said after a moment.

"I was a very different man then."

"Will... will you tell me?" He asked, after a moment.

Pitch was silent for so long that he wondered if his silence meant no. In truth, Pitch was simply gathering his thoughts.

"I was a general of a golden army. I was born to be a soldier, it was an honor that not everyone was capable of. Only those who were born with yellow eyes were soldiers. I spent several years training when I came of age. I don't remember anymore just how old I was... it's not really relevant. Training was hard, but harder still was the initiation."

"Initiation?" Jack asked, curiosity getting the better of him as he glanced over at the other.

"Yes. The initiation, to be a full soldier so that we could fight the Shadows, was to let a part of our soul go... a part of our life force to make room for a small part of Shadow. It was considered that through doing so we would be more prepared to face the enemy." He glanced over at Jack and noticed that the boy's eyes were wide; obviously he couldn't imagine doing such a thing or anyone he knew doing it.

"Didn't... didn't it hurt?"

"Oh yes, it hurt immeasurably."

"How did you stand it?"

"By sharing the pain and burden with others who were going through it. Though, in hindsight, it is likely this very thing that made me vulnerable to the Shadows later. I was the strongest among all the soldiers, which is partly why I was made a general. We won the war, against the Shadows. It took many years, but we won and when the war was finally over we looked up the remaining Shadows, but the problem was that someone needed to watch over them. Someone who could handle it..." He trailed off.

"It was you... wasn't it?" Jack asked quietly. Pitch nodded, Jack watched him closely; there was no real emotion on his face aside from the steely expression he used as a mask, but his eyes were full of the emotions he was sure the man was feeling.

"I was the only one. I'd been the deciding factor in crushing the Shadows, in pushing them back to win the war. I was the only one who could withstand being in their presence and I did. For several years."

"You said you had a daughter." Jack said after a moment of silence.

"Seraphina. She was the light of my life. I met her mother sometime after I had gone through the initiation. She had inspired me to be a better soldier, I was surprised by her spirit for the fight and in a short manner of time she gave birth to a beautiful girl. Seraphina was everything to me, when I had to stand watch, I had the locket. I kept it with me to remind me of her; the Shadows... they were constantly whispering, there wasn't a moment of peace. I made the mistake of taking the locket out one day and... they saw... they knew... They..." Pitch hesitated, Jack was silent because he understood from his tone that the man was struggling with this.

"They used her against me. Her voice." Jack understood that, hadn't the Fearlings tried to do the same to him before he'd made it to the study room that Pitch had been in? Guarding him by using the voices of Jamie and the other Guardians to try and drive him away even with the Nightmare leading the way? It had been the worst thing he'd ever heard and he'd almost balked, but he'd managed, somehow, to push the voices away.

"I was weak and opened the cell, doing so was my downfall. They engulfed me, I lost consciousness and when I was finally able to resurface for the first time... everything was gone. My home, my people... the only survivors that I knew of were myself and the Man in the Moon."

"Wait... the Man in the Moon is from the stars too?"

"Yes. When I was a general I served him. He is the last of the royal line." Royal line. Jack had considered that the Manny was a lot of things, but he'd never would have guessed that the one who gave him life would be royalty.

"Why didn't they tell me?" Jack asked, once his mind had wrapped around everything.

"You need to be more specific Jack."

"The Guardians, why wouldn't they tell me that the Man in the Moon was royalty?"

"Doubtful that they knew, except perhaps The Sandman. Being from the stars, The Sandman knew him before hand as I did."  
"I see." Jack grew silent after that. Pitch didn't say anything more, but shifted to lay down after a while and before Jack knew it, he was fast asleep. He could hear Pitch's even breathing and wondered for a moment what he should do, but before he could make any sort of a decision he found himself slipping into sleep as well even though he knew that as immortals they really didn't need the rest... at least, he didn't.

The feeling that Jack woke up to was a welcoming sensation, fingers gently sliding through his hair; he slowly opened his eyes, his mind hazy about where he was and not really wanting to come to. He knew he was warm, safe, and there was a certain pleasure about the way the fingers toyed with his hair. His mind dimly registered the smooth black silk beneath him, he didn't want this to end; he felt the hand paused and uttered a soft sound of protest, the hand resumed, slowly at first and then resumed its pace when he let out a contented sigh. Pitch was reading a book as he sat near Jack, he wasn't sure why he'd come to the bed to read when there was a perfectly good chair near a fireplace, but he couldn't help it. He just felt the need to be near Jack, if nothing else and Jack was so beautiful... he had to thread his fingers through the snowy hair, ignoring the snowflakes that fell from them to melt on the pillow the Guardian was using. He enjoyed doing this so much, particularly as the hair was as soft as the silk on his bed and yet was such a beautiful contrast to his grey toned skin. He began to wonder what the boy would look like on these sheets, naked and flush with desire, ready for him... Pitch blinked at the thought, it was one thing to tease the boy about such things, but to think of him like that... It caused a lot of his blood to go south. He turned as the boy shifted to curl closer to him, he knew Jack was awake, but he didn't say anything. Pitch felt a bit of surprise and pleasure as Jack leaned into his fingers that lightly ruffled through his hair. He stared in a curious sort of wonder, had it been only a few days ago that Jack had been fighting him? That he'd had to tease the boy the last couple times to keep Jack from freezing him and now the boy was curled up next to him of his own violation and liking the gentle care he was lavishing on him. It was almost too good to be true, it had seemed like a dream to wake up with Jack near him; he'd wanted to give in to the thoughts that had come to mind, but for now he'd held back. He wasn't that sort of monster, the Fearlings and Nightmare Men could care less what he did in terms of his own bodily needs so long as he made sure they had fear to keep them sated. That wasn't a problem, once he'd wrestled control again; he only had a handful of Nightmares now, thanks to what had happened the previous year, but they were doing their jobs well and keeping the Shadows and themselves well fed without him watching over them all the time.

The dawning of the new day saw Jack circling about the cave entrance to Pitch's lair.

"Are you coming out or what?" Pitch reasoned he hadn't been out in the sun for a good while. Not because he couldn't be, but mostly because his Shadows were most effective in the night and most people - particularly children - slept at night.

"Don't rush me." Pitch replied, letting his eyes adjust to the new light and grumbling under his breath about the impatience of his companion before stepping out of the darkness of the cave into the snowy tundra. How had he been talked into this? Daylight wasn't his thing, but as he blinked in the sunlight he had to admit that at least he wouldn't have to concern himself about the Man in the Moon considering the moon was mostly out of sight during the day. He was considering going back to his lair when something wet smacked across his torso and he'd no doubts of what it was or where it had come from.

"I see how it is." Pitch said before picking up snow and hurling it back at the grinning Guardian who dodged the first snowball easily only to be pelted by a second.

"Nice one!" Jack called and made more snowballs, hurling them at the boogeyman with sheer joy while the other weaved and dodged before tossing snowballs back in return. Jack didn't think that his magical snowballs worked on spirits, but apparently it did as their snowball fight escalated into an all-out-war. He could scarcely believe it, and he was the one engaged in it! Jack was sure the other Guardians would have been utterly baffled at their old enemy throwing snowballs at the frost Guardian, but he had to admit he was having too much fun to care. Jack called a truce after a while and the two were both almost buried in snow by that time and were sitting in the snow companionably; if someone would have told him he'd be doing this months before he'd have thought them mad.

"Admit it, Pitch. You had _fun_." Pitch rolled his eyes at the frost spirit.

"Maybe a little." He conceded, Jack grinned but when he saw Pitch's expression become steely once more he knew something was up and suddenly he noticed that Pitch was no longer looking at him, so much as behind him as he brushed the snow from himself and stood in a regal sort of manner. Jack whirled around, he hadn't expected anyone to be out here except them, but walking silently with confidence in their step was a figure a few feet away. Jack wondered who it could be, from a distance he saw that there was ice trailing the figure and thought that maybe they were a winter spirit like himself until he realized that what he saw coming from the figure wasn't ice, it was water. The water was simply freezing behind him because of the coldness that was swirling around them. Jack had seen water spirits once or twice, but he tended to stay away from most of them because a lot of them were Unseelie and delighted in the torture and consumption of humans. The thought of that made Jack shudder with disgust. He also noticed that the figure was trailed by what looked like a female, a water nymph. He knew she was a water nymph because of the way she flowed through the snow as if she were a river that was winding its way through the snow covered plains. Her eyes were a dark brown, as was her hair and her skin was dark as mud; she must have been freezing or at least seemed she might be considering she had to shake frozen water from her every so often and the water reeds that made up the shoulderless, sleeveless dress she wore didn't offer much protection from the elements of cold and only fell to her knees. Like Jack, and most other water type fae, she wore no shoes either.

"Who do you suppose that is?" Jack muttered, not expecting an answer from Pitch nor getting one. The man that was traveling with the nymph had hair that was like oak that would have normally rippled about in waves were it not for the frozen water droplets that clung to each strand, causing it to seem as if a rainbow of beads was in his hair; when he shook them away, as he did only once, his hair bounced back to its wavy form again before the water droplets began once more to freeze. His eyes were as green as pond reeds with a tinge of brown mixed in, unlike the nymph he was wrapped in what looked to be an otter skin tunic and beaver skin pants though he also didn't wear any shoes. If it wasn't for the fact that looking into those eyes made Jack want to shy away in disgust he would almost say that the figure that stood before them, stopping a few feet away, was moderately handsome.

"To what do I owe this honor?" Pitch said evenly, the way he eyed the other gave Jack the impression the boogeyman knew whom he was addressing.

"I wanted to see if you wanted to make a deal." Pitch raised an eyebrow at the Pond Spirit.

"A deal?" Before the other could answer, Jack blurted out.

"Who are you?" The man smiled at Jack.

"Ah, Jack Frost. Forgive me, I forget that not everyone would know me on sight. I am Cahal." Jack thought he should know that name, but he couldn't place it or why he felt he should fear this Pond Spirit. Cahal turned from Jack, dismissing him as he answered Pitch's question.

"Of course! I am not a monster after all, I am looking for more allies. I was thinking that you wouldn't mind lending me some of those Shadows you have, as you have a reputation of doing so in the past." Pitch knew that, he considered it a moment before responding.

"No."

"You haven't even heard what I plan on giving you in return." Cahal said with a self-confident smile.

"There is nothing you have that I would want. I don't like sharing and don't intend to."

"Sure of that are you? I mean, wouldn't you like to take down the Guardians once and for all?" Pitch's lips thinned at the question.

"When I take down the Guardians it will be by my own design and hand, not because of you." Jack gripped his staff a little tighter when the other shrugged.

"Just think about it is all. I don't want an immediate response, I'm a patient man after all." Cahal turned his gaze from Pitch to Jack.

"Well, in most things anyway..." Jack didn't like the way the Pond Spirit was looking at him, in fact his own eyes narrowed at the fae in pure disgust. This only caused the other to laugh, the low sound sent spikes of fear up Jack's arms. This wasn't a fae Jack wanted to cross. Pitch crossed his arms, his own eyes narrowing at the fae who didn't seemed at all phased.

"I'll leave you to think on my offer, Pitch." Water seemed to suddenly surround the two figures and they sank into the small pool which froze over once the two were gone.

Jack stared at the spot a moment before turning to Pitch.

"You aren't seriously considering his deal are you?"

"No. As I said before, I don't like sharing."

"But you have before?" Jack asked, hovering about the boogeyman who seemed off in thought now.

"In the past. When there were plenty to go around. Before the Guardians."

"I... I should go. The others need to know about this." Jack spun around to head to the North Pole when the sound of his voice made him pause.

"Jack." Jack glanced over his shoulder.

"Don't let your guard down. Cahal isn't just another Pond Spirit." Jack grinned at him.

"Don't worry, I'll be careful."

"I'm not worried Jack." Pitch said, but Jack just grinned more. He wasn't going to argue that point though, he had to tell the others and he shot off towards the North Pole. Leaving Pitch to stare after his retreating form before heading back to the cave and his lair. As Pitch stepped back into the temperate room that was the main room of his lair, a slight amused smile tugged at his lips for the briefest of moments. He'd shared time with Jack without actually saying anything to embarrass the Guardian and had enjoyed the time. Perhaps there was another way to seduce the young spirit to his side without being quite so bold about it... His thoughts turned from Jack to the unexpected appearance of the Pond Spirit. Normally such fae didn't ever leave the pond they called home, but this one had and on numerous occasions. His lips pressed into a thin line. Unlike the Guardians, who only concerned themselves with their tasks and protecting human children, Pitch kept tabs on the news of the fae and their movements. Fae rarely interfered with humans if they could help it, most thought the mortals beneath them or hardly worth their time and there were few among the Unseelie who wouldn't stoop to consuming humans, and that was the very least of their deviousness. Even if Pitch wouldn't bother with such types of evil doings, the Unseelie had no problem with torturing humans in every possible way the imagination could conceive, and even in some ways that humans would never be able to imagine. There were few fae that Pitch really concerned himself with, but one of those he'd been watching closely was Cahal. Though normally such a fae wasn't trouble, the other certainly had the ambition to start it as he'd started acquiring more and more allies, convincing other water fae - spirits and sprites alike - to take over waters that weren't previously theirs and oust any who didn't follow his lead. To make matters worse, one of the worst Unseelie was on the move again, the Nain Rouge. That one had an insatiable appetite for souls and was a danger not just to mortals, but to other fae as well. No one was safe from that one, but that particular fae had gone underground when Pitch had spread his darkness across the globe while he'd begun to build his army for the fight with the Guardians; that she had reappeared was not a good thing. Unlike Pitch, she simply couldn't be beaten back and expected to disappear for any length of time; that fae was far more dangerous and no one in their right mind would ever cross her.

Jack sped through the workshop in search of North, who was pouring over a book in the meeting room. Jack was surprised to see that he wasn't alone, in fact along with him was Bunny, who was thumbing through a few titles while two figures, one male and one female, he'd never seen before sat at the table sipping hot coco and conversing in low tones. North glanced up when he felt the chill that Jack always brought with him.

"Jack! Is good to see you." Bunny glanced up from the books he was looking at to give him a slight smile.

"Any news mate?"

"Yeah, um... where's Sandy and Tooth?"

"Out scouting, they should be back soon with news as well."

"Not to be rude... but who are they?" Jack said as he alighted near the large Guardian, indicating the three at the meeting.

"Guess you never met before. Let me introduce. This here is Erlkonig, King of the Dwarven." The man was shorter than even Jack when he stood, but he held himself with the regal air that any royalty would despite that he wasn't dressed like a king. The brown hide tunic and pants the other wore made it easy for one to mistake him for anything but a king, his eyes were only a slightly lighter shade than his brown skin and the beard that trailed down his chest, along with a mustache, was as black as any night. He nodded at the introduction to Jack before North went on, indicating the woman this time.

"This is Melusina, Queen of the Fae." The woman smiled at Jack, she had a delicate beauty, her skin an alabaster with pale blush for her lips; her eyes were a sea green that were lit with some amusement at the moment. Her straight hair fell to her waist like a waterfall of earth as it was a deep brown. The white gown she wore was simple, but elegant in that it had green leaf embroidery on the collar and sleeves of the dress. She didn't stand, as the dwarf had, but inclined her head towards the two in acknowledgement.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Jack Frost. I have heard a great many things." Her voice was soft and pleasant to hear. Had Jack been anyone but who he was, he had a sense he'd have fallen flat on his face and head over heels for her due to the natural fae charm she possessed. Before Jack could think to say anything, both Tooth and Sandy arrived.

" 'Bout time. Was wondering when we'd get this thing started." Bunny said as he took a seat next to the dwarf. Sandy settled next to Melusina and Tooth took the seat next to Bunny as North sat at the end of the table, leaving the last seat next to North and Sandy to him. Jack settled into the seat.

"I call you here now due to problems across world. Something must be done." Everyone nodded.

"Bunnymund, what news have you?"

"Not much, only that several water holes have been taken over in the south; ousting some rather unhappy fae who seem to have fled to others, at least those that have survived being ousted." Melusina nodded, her expression sad.

"Sandy?" Everyone turned to look at Sandy who shook his head, the golden Guardian had nothing to report.

"Tooth?"

"Sorry North, I didn't turn up anything either." North then turned to Jack, who found himself squirming a little when he realized everyone seemed to be looking at him. How was he going to relay his news? He certainly couldn't admit to having been engaging in a snowball fight with the boogeyman before they'd been interrupted.

"I met the one responsible." He began, trying to ignore the nervousness that seemed to blossom in him when the others looked at him expectantly.

"I was up at Antarctica, resting from having played with some kids," Jack was surprised how easily the lie came to him; how it easily left him and none of the others seemed to suspect anything. He didn't want to keep secrets from his fellow Guardians, but he didn't think any of them would believe him if he said that Pitch wasn't the same as he'd been a year ago.

"I don't know why he chose to show himself, he was with a water nymph I think. His name is Cahal." There was a mix of reactions among the group. North looked thoughtful, Bunny seemed a little clueless, Tooth frowned, Sandy had a question mark over his head, Melusina had leaned back into her chair with a dark expression over her face and the dwarf king was shaking his head in weary resignation.

"I'm guessing most everyone knows him."

"Aye lad, I know him." Erlkonig said.

"A rather unpleasant fellow, not one you want to cross."

"Indeed, that one has been in and out of trouble many a time." Melusina murmured.

"Why would he approach you? Why not one of us?" Bunny asked and Jack shrugged.

"Maybe he felt more comfortable around me or something, I don't know."

"Don't jest Jack. The fact that he approached you is bad news. He has a very unflattering reputation among the fae." Tooth said, her expression disapproving.

"Sorry. Look, I don't know anything about this guy. I don't know why he came all the way there with a nymph just to talk. He said something about a deal to Pi-" Jack cut himself off and cursed inwardly for the slip up. He watched as the three Guardians' eyes widened.

"What?! What were you doing with Pitch?!" Bunny exclaimed.

"Calm down Bunny," North said before turning back to Jack.

"is more than meets the eye, no? What are you not saying?" Jack had the decency to flush with shame and sunk a little in his chair, pulling his hood up over his head even as he responded.

"I was just talking with him. He had come out of his lair for a change and... we had a snowball fight." When Jack glanced at chance to look at the other Guardians, they just looked floored by that last piece of information. Bunny's jaw about hit the floor, if it were any other time Jack would have found that endlessly amusing. Sandy was the first to come around, several signs flashing overhead.

 _How long have you been visiting him?_ Jack felt that, of all the Guardians, Sandy would be the most understanding.

"A ... few days, three really."

"Are you out of your bloomin' mind mate?! Pitch is evil!"

"He's not evil!" Jack shot back, North and Tooth were silent as Bunny's eyes narrowed.

"Don't forget what he did last year! He nearly snuffed out every believer's light, he destroyed Easter, he nearly killed you and he killed Sandy! Have you-" Jack cut him off hotly.

"You don't understand! You were without believers for a few HOURS he had to suffer for years! Just as I have! I haven't forgot a single thing rabbit, but apparently you've forgotten that I was in his shoes before last year!" Bunny seemed to be utterly shocked at the anger that Jack was suddenly displaying as the frost spirit shot to his feet.

"You don't KNOW what it's like to try everything to get someone to pay attention to you and fail! You don't _know_ what it's like... You all three fell apart in a matter of days, but I spent 300 _years_ without anyone to keep me company! Pitch has been around longer than any of you and not once have any of you acknowledge him beyond fighting! Did you miss it when he said he wanted to be believed in last year? I didn't. I was there, at the Tooth Palace when he said that was what he wanted. Where were you Bunny? Or were you so full of your own anger and so full of what you thought he was that you couldn't see?"

"Jack..." Tooth said, shocked just as much as Bunny. North and Sandy didn't seem surprised at his words, but they did seem sad.

"You have no right to judge..." He faltered as his anger was choking him. He had hoped they would have understood, but now he saw in their faces what he'd only assumed. They didn't.

"I..." He turned away from them, trying to gather himself.

"I need some air." With that, he took off into the air and was out of the skylight before anyone could comment. He didn't care that he'd lost his temper with the others. They'd been kind to him, sure, but only because he'd been chosen to be a Guardian. They hadn't paid him any mind otherwise when he'd tried to connect with them, they'd shooed him away because they were too busy or because he'd done something to annoy them. Jack flew through the air blindly, his anger swirling in him with hurt; before he was aware of it he found himself outside the cave in Antarctica.

Jack was surprised when he saw a Nightmare was waiting for him. He didn't realize that tears were flowing down his cheeks as she approached him, not leaving any prints in the snow as she did. Jack didn't hesitate to run his hands over her, she knelt so that Jack could get on and he did. She was swift in taking off back into the cave and it wasn't until she reached the sitting room where Pitch was that she stopped and dropped so that Jack could get off. Pitch looked up from the book he'd been reading at his desk, one look was all it took and he was on his feet as Jack rushed towards him; throwing his arms around the shade as his tears flowed freely. Pitch said nothing, holding Jack close, he lightly ran his fingers through Jack's hair; letting the boy cry. He didn't need to ask Jack what was wrong. Pitch could sense most of it, Jack knew this and for once was grateful because he wasn't sure if he could find the words or be able to speak even if he could. How was it that Jack was so brave and strong in a fight, but at the same time so fragile? He held Jack close, closing his eyes; there was no denying what he felt now. He couldn't give it a name, didn't care if there was one for it, but he knew he cared deeply for the frost Guardian who had taken time to listen to him, to learn who he was. Never had anyone been so kind to him since he had come to this planet, since the Shadows had consumed the man he'd once been and could never be again. He waited for Jack to calm down, patient despite it all and, perhaps more understanding than he had before. After a long while, Jack's sobs subsided and his sadness became just a dull ache.

"You were right Pitch, they don't understand me." His tears spent, Jack felt tired and numb. Pitch swept him into his arms before the Guardian could think to protest and he didn't at all after a moment, not having the energy as he simply lay his head against Pitch who stepped into the shadows. When they came out they were in the bedroom again, Pitch set him on the bed and pulled the silk sheets around him.

"Pitch..."  
"Shhh now. Rest. We can talk when you're awake." Jack nodded sleepily before curling up. Pitch moved but was shocked when Jack grabbed his wrist.

"Stay." There was such a plea in the simple request that the shade couldn't deny it. He shifted to lay with Jack, draping his arm over the boy to pull him close as Jack curled up against him. He cursed the Guardians for doing this to Jack, they had no idea just how precious Jack was; how special this young Guardian was, and not just because of what Pitch felt. Jack, he knew, was not like the other Guardians, his powers came from within, just like Pitch's Shadows gave him power, the power that resided in Jack from the Man in the Moon were self-sustaining. He watched as Jack slowly drifted to sleep and thought about how he could make the Guardians pay for making Jack cry.


	6. Friends and Enemies

Jack awoke, surprised to find himself in the arms of his ene- no, that wasn't right. Pitch wasn't his enemy. He hadn't been since the previous year. Jack slowly sat up, he remembered what had brought him here. He looked over at Pitch who was looking at him now, the book in the other's hand momentarily forgotten. His gaze was steady and there was, Jack realized for the first time, empathy in those golden orbs. How was it that he'd missed the emotion in those eyes before? He wasn't sure what to say, momentarily lost for words and lost in those orbs.

He wasn't sure what he was doing, but his heart told him that it was right. Jack leaned forward and before Pitch could wonder what he was up to he felt the cool lips touch his own. Shock struck the boogeyman before he dropped the book onto his lap as he responded to the soft kiss, his arms going around Jack. Jack hadn't realized that he'd been tense, but when he'd felt a response all the remaining tension drained from him. Time seemed to stand still as they stayed in what was a chaste kiss for a moment before Pitch began to tease Jack's mouth open with his own, skimming his tongue along the cool lips. When Jack complied, Pitch flicked his tongue inside to taste the coolness within, darting in and out; reveling in the taste. Jack felt dizzy from the kiss as he pressed closer, he wanted this, ached for this. He hadn't even realized it until this moment. He knew something had been missing from his life. This was it. It seemed like forever and yet no time at all when Jack broke the kiss. He was more than a little surprised to find himself breathless, not that he needed to breathe, but all the same... He saw the affect he had on Pitch as well. The amber eyes had become like molten gold now with the heat of passion that simmered from them, seeing that, Jack shied away a little. He had taken the first step, but he didn't think he was ready for what he was certain Pitch could offer him... had offered him before. He flushed a little, but didn't move away even as he saw a smile in those eyes.

"It's okay Jack. I wouldn't force you to do something like that; if you're not ready then I can wait. I've waited so long already."

"W-what do you mean?"

"From the moment we met I've been waiting, I admit I didn't know it at the time, but I knew it when I approached you at the pole." Jack remembered his words then.

" _I don't know what it's like to be outcast?! To not be believed in?! To long for... a family? All those years in the shadows I thought, no one knows what this feels like. Now I see I was wrong."_

"At the pole... you mentioned... I thought maybe you meant..." Jack trailed off, his eyes going wide as suddenly he saw a deeper meaning into the words that had been spoken the year before. He then suddenly felt he understood just how much it had to have hurt for him to reject Pitch's offer to join him.

"Pitch... I..." What could he say? He'd completely misunderstood. Pitch put a single finger to his lips briefly to silence him.

"Shhh. Don't worry about it. The past is behind us." Jack nodded mutely, then a thought struck him; if Pitch could put the past behind him, maybe the Guardians could too.

"I know that look Jack, what are you thinking?"

"Like you said, the past is behind you right? Why not come with me to the pole then and start fresh with the other Guardians?" Pitch gave him a thoughtful look for a moment then shook his head.

"Jack, you know that's not going to happen."

"Why not?"

"They're not going to be so forgiving of me as you have been. There isn't just the little matter of last year between the Guardians and myself. Many decades of fighting, it's not just so easily forgotten."

"I don't see what that has to do with anything. You nearly killed me, definitely killed Sandy, but I'm not holding a grudge. I can't imagine Sandy would either honestly... and I kinda accidentally told them about you." Alarm briefly flared in the shade's eyes.

"What did you say?"

"Just... that you were with me when I met Cahal and... I might have mentioned the snowball fight..." Jack ducked his head sheepishly. Watching Pitch who seemed to consider this. He had hoped to stay under their radar, but apparently that wasn't going to happen. Well, he hadn't bothered any children so he didn't think that would be an issue, but he knew well they weren't going to just welcome him with open arms either.

"We have to try." Pitch sighed a little.

"Fine, but don't say I didn't warn you."

"Just, don't attack them and you should be fine."

"I can at least promise that much, I won't say the reverse will be true." Keeping his arms around the frost spirit he whisked them to the entrance of his lair.

"We'll have to do this the slow way, I wouldn't put it past North to have set wards on the place as well as in the homes of the other Guardians." Jack nodded. North had done so, it was meant to keep Nightmares from getting into the workshop after the fiasco with the Nightmares raiding the Tooth Palace. A Nightmare emerged from the nearby shadows beneath Pitch, so that he was sitting on her back, reigns appearing for his hands. He looked at Jack who shook his head and took off into the air. Jack took off leisurely with Pitch following on the Nightmare.

"Do your Nightmares have names?" Jack asked when the Nightmare caught up to him.

"Yes. This is my first, Obsidian, though I rarely need call them by name." Jack thought that made sense, they were skimming over a forest when he saw something in the distance.

"What is -" Something in the distance was charging towards them, it looked like a group of Nightmares but something wasn't right, instead of sand they appeared to be real horses flying through the air at them at top speed; that is, if real horses could fly without any wings and had wild manes of fire. Jack and Pitch parted to keep from being hit as the horses struck, Obsidian whinnied in rage as she ducked away, trying to paw at one of the others that came too close. Pitch didn't hesitate to form his scythe, slashing at another as Obsidian dealt with the other that had come too close. Jack ducked and weaved out of the way of the creatures, but as fast as he was, several of them cornered him momentarily; as he froze one to get away to keep them from getting too close he felt a blow to the back of his head. Pitch saw something out of the corner of his eye and turned to see Jack falling out of the sky with the creatures racing after him.

"Jack!" Forgetting about the one that he'd left a cut across its broad chest, he turned Obsidian and urged her on, racing her against gravity towards the falling form. His scythe dispersed as he caught Jack in his arms, a tendril of black sand catching the staff that had slipped from the Guardian's hands. He urged Obsidian to go faster and closer to the ground, gritting his teeth in anger at the creatures that gave chase even as he felt worry bubble in him as he saw the snowy white hair had turned crimson. Biting his lip he swatted any that tried to get too close and summoned a couple of Fearlings to strike at the small herd, slowing them long enough for Pitch to reach the shadows and vanish into them. When they came out again they were at the North Pole, several feet away. Not wanting to endanger his Nightmare, he ordered her to stay outside as he slid from her and ran towards the gate, stumbling a little on some rocks but he didn't let that stop him. The yetis caught sight of him and pointed spears at him when he came close but he glared at them.

"Don't be fools, let me in! Can't you see the boy is hurt?! He lifted his one hand near the boy's head just a little, allowing them to see the blood that had seeped into his fingers. The two exchanged a quick glance before letting him in, but not without one of them following him inside and with several grumblings that spoke of worry for the young Guardian as well as their lack of wanting him anywhere near the place. Pitch sensed he'd been right about the wards as the Nightmares that clung to his clothes, that made up the robes, squealed in utter pain, but he ignored them as he headed straight for the infirmary. He remembered where it had been since his last visit and pushed aside the memory, he'd been at the North Pole for a very different reason the previous year. Yetis paused in what they were doing when they saw him and word spread fast, elves scampered out of his way in fear. He would have loved it, ordinarily, but he was too worried about Jack to care about the mindless creatures that the elves were. He shouldered open a door and lay Jack on the nearest bed before turning towards the numerous cabinets in search of a towel.

"What be going on here?!" North's exclamation of surprise hardly surprised the boogeyman who was trying to wipe Jack's hair clean with a damp towel to get a better look at the wound.

"Don't just stand there, give me a hand." Pitch said flatly. He was relieved when he managed to find the wound in the mop of bloody hair only to realize it wasn't deep and that most of the bleeding had stopped. He took care to dab at the wound, when a shadow fell over the two he glanced up to see North and Toothiana, to his annoyance, were looking at Jack with worried expressions. He was at least glad to see that the rabbit was nowhere in sight currently. North, despite his huge hands, was gentle as he took over the care of Jack and finished cleaning the wound. Tooth held the supplies for North, a worried expression on her delicate face as North bandaged the wound before making Jack comfortable. Tooth put away the supplies while North grabbed Pitch's arm and drew the boogeyman out of the room and into the hall. The yetis and elves had all gone back to work, Tooth shut the door behind her as she flitted out of the room behind North who was all but dragging Pitch out. Tooth had taken Jack's staff from him and had set it by the bed within reach.

"He'll be fine. We need talk." North said gruffly, to keep the other from fighting to go to Jack's side. Pitch conceded that yes, they did, and nearly sighed aloud when he saw that Bunny was waiting for them in the hallway. The Pooka didn't say a word, but the way he was standing clearly said 'There had better be an explanation and it had better be good or else...'

"Fine, but not here." Pitch said after a moment, concerned that the resulting conversation might disturb Jack's rest.

When Jack began to come around again he nearly groaned, his head was throbbing, but it was more of a dull pain. He realized he was laying on something soft, the wind seemed to sigh a little as it brushed his hair from a nearby open window. After a moment he remembered what had happened and figured, from the smells drifting his way that he was in North's workshop. He could hear voices outside the door, at first he couldn't even tell who it was, but as he listened closely he began to distinguish them and recognized the shadowed figures beyond the door's ice-like "windows."

"He need rest. Don't disturb him."

"I won't wake the boy. You should know as much as I do though that he could well panic if I'm not there in the room when he awakens. This was his idea." There was a sigh, it was North of course and the other voice was Pitch's. Jack nearly groaned, what were those things that had attacked them? He heard the door open and he shifted to try and sit up as the door slid open just enough to admit the tall figure he knew was Pitch. None of the shadows in the room were his, he could tell that by a glance out of the corner of his eyes, he didn't even try and pretend that he was alright as the room seemed to spin for a moment. He clutched his head with one hand, willing things to stop spinning. When they finally did he saw Pitch standing at the end of the bed.

"How are you feeling?"

"Like I got trampled." Pitch raised an eyebrow.

"At least your wit is still intact."

"What were those things? I've never seen anything like them before."

"Ceffyl Dwr. They normally do not leave Scotland, but it seems as if Cahal has managed to convince them to work with him. Strange though since they rarely care to give their loyalty to anyone."

"Why would he send them after us? Didn't he want to make a deal with you?"

"Yes, but I imagine he disposed them to get rid of you." That made sense, Jack thought and ran a hand through his hair without thinking only to wince when it touched his wound.

"You might want to refrain from that gesture for a while." Jack nodded, then seemed to hesitate to ask the question that was burning in his mind.

"How... did the others take it?"

"As well as could be expected." Jack winced a little, he knew that among the Guardians, Bunny would be the worst.

"I admit, however, it was better than what I was expecting myself." Jack leaned back against the headboard of the bed in relief.

"That's something, I guess."

"You should get some rest." Pitch started towards the door, intending to leave the boy to it.

"Yeah, and Pitch?" Pitch paused half way to the door and turned his head to look at him.

"Thanks." Pitch stood there a moment, saying nothing, but he nodded his head. Jack wondered if Pitch knew he was thanking him for earlier and not just for bringing him to the Workshop. Well, it didn't matter so much and he lay down with a sigh.

When he awoke again he felt better, at least this time when he sat up the room didn't spin so much though it did just a little when he tried standing up so he simply sat back down again. He glanced at his staff nearby. The wind that swirled around him seemed to offer some comfort even as it teased at him to come play.

"When I'm better." He murmured to the wind as it ruffled his hoodie and hair, as if offering a gentle caress before retreating back out. Jack wasn't much for staying in one place if he could help it, but he didn't really have a choice as North had told him he'd suffered a concussion so it was normal that he'd have dizzy spells for a few days, but that they'd fade. It was nothing serious and he'd be back to his old self soon enough. In the meantime he found that Baby Tooth was all too happy to keep him company during the day and played chess with him, the little fairy was surprisingly good at chess and gave Jack a run for his money a couple of times. North had offered once to bring him some books, but Jack had refused; he wasn't much on reading. Not that he couldn't, as he'd learned over the years to read in several languages, but just that he tended to get bored too quickly to settle down with any sort of book short of a picture book and there weren't a lot of those at the pole that weren't being wrapped for Christmas. North had asked him, upon his refusal of books, if he wanted an activities book instead. Jack found he enjoyed those when no one was around to keep him company though during the evenings, when everyone else was either busy or asleep he found Pitch kept him company. Though the shade was mostly quiet and often reading a book, he visited Jack and on one occasion had summoned one of the Fearlings from his robes to cast shadows on the walls for Jack's amusement, telling stories of humans he remembered from older times or tales he'd read about knights who had roamed the land in full armor, of ninjas who used the night as their ally, of samurai who fearlessly charged into battle and of rogues who defied the laws of tyrant kings or just laws in general. Despite the company the Guardians provided, it was Pitch's company that Jack seemed to enjoy the most. Not to say that he didn't like visits from North, though the large Guardian was sometimes too boisterous for him. Visits from Tooth were far too... energetic was the best way he could put it, Sandy was too busy to come around and Bunny... well he was Bunny. He stuck his nose in the door once or twice, but his visits were short and not much was said.

Pitch, on the other hand, seemed content to keep quiet most times or speak in a soft tone. His silky voice often bemused the young Guardian or sent small shivers of pleasure through him, though he still wasn't used to that sort of feeling. One afternoon, before Pitch was likely to show and the infirmary was quiet, Jack was surprised to find that Bunny was shuffling inside. The strange thing was that he found the normally confident Pooka looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here. He was, subdued... yes, that was the best word for it. His ears were flopped back over his head and he had shrunk himself down a bit rather than drawing himself to his full height as he usually did.

"Bunny?" Jack was puzzled over this, and there was something in the Pooka's green eyes that made him wonder if something was wrong.

"I... uh... came to apologize." Jack was surprised, sure he and Bunny had their moments when they'd been at each other, though most of it was good-natured ribbing. So what was he talking about?

"What for?"

"You... you were right mate... at the meeting." The Pooka seemed to shrink a little more, shuffling his feet like a child expecting a scolding from a parent.

"We... I... don't know what things were like for you. I wish I woulda known. I thought-" The Pooka cut himself off and shook his head.

"It doesn't matter wha' I thought. I was wrong about you. So very wrong. I... didn't know. Maybe I don't completely understand an' I hope ta never, but I haven't forgotten wha' it was like that Easter. Ta not be seen. Not be believed in." Bunny was looking at him with a strange mix of sorrow and a plea for acceptance. Jack rose from his bed, his heart twisting at the look on his friend's face.

"I... shoulda had more faith in you... I ... It's hard to just let the past go. Pitch... he slaughtered everyone like me... it's not easy to overlook that... but... I can't hold a grudge forever. I promise to try, for you mate." Jack moved over to him and simply hugged him, surprising the Pooka, but after a moment Bunny hugged him back.

"Don't go tellin' anyone 'bout this. I'll deny it."

"Fine with me Bunny." Neither noticed that Pitch was retreating a little from the door and moved to a nearby railing as if finding something below interesting. Jealousy was twisting inside him. He felt conflicted. Why would he be jealous over that hopping nuisance hugging Jack? They were friends after all, it wasn't as if... No, he couldn't... could he? Pitch thought about it a while and realized there was no reason he didn't. He'd not really resented Jack since the frost spirit had taken to invading his home on a regular basis, even if he'd said he'd not been looking for it the first time, which he believed considering Jack had literally fallen into the lair. As it was, he had become increasingly intrigued by the Guardian and had welcomed his visits. The why of that had eluded him for some time, but he'd come to care for the Guardian and enjoyed his company and not just teasing him as he had the first couple of visits. Seeing the young Guardian flustered had given him great joy, especially the taste of his fear, but after that... he'd settled for something different. He waited for the sounds of the Pooka leaving before turning to go keep Jack company, not paying any attention to the Pooka who had paused a moment to give the shade a funny look before hopping off.


	7. Shadows of Ice

Pitch entered the room, his gaze shifted to the bed but Jack wasn't there. Scanning the room he found the frost spirit was now standing by the window, the wind tugging at his hair as he stood, face up towards the soft moonlight that was pouring into the room but his eyes were closed. Pitch's breath hitched in his throat, he was so beautiful. So innocent and yet... Pitch found himself moving slowly towards him.

"Jack." The word was spoken so very softly. Jack slowly opened his eyes to see Pitch's golden ones peering back at him when he shifted his head just slightly. Pitch stilled at the lazy way the Guardian was looking at him now. What had he been thinking of? Why was he looking at him like that? Pitch couldn't move, couldn't speak, inexplicably drawn to the frost spirit. The slow smile that touched the Guardian's lips, the one that spoke of quiet confidence, one that had once made Pitch clench his fists in anger now was undeniably keeping him rooted in the spot. He was mere inches from the Guardian, but he couldn't move, he stared at Jack, unable to speak now. Jack chuckled softly.

"What's this? The King of Nightmares speechless?" Pitch opened his mouth to speak, but no matter how he tried he couldn't seem to say a word so he shut his mouth. Jack, looking up at him closed the distance and, to the utter surprise of the shade, Jack pressed his lips to cool taste sending sweet chills down his spine, he slipped his hands around Jack's waist as his eyes slid closed. Jack wrapped his arms around Pitch's neck, pressing closer to the other. It was like the first time, but this time Jack's cool tongue teased Pitch's bottom lip, when the other complied willingly Jack thrust his tongue into the hot furnace; tasting the hot bitter-sweetness that was Pitch. He hummed in pleasure in his throat as his tongue tangled with Pitch's, hot and cold mixing and mingling; the sound made Pitch's blood heat and he clutched at Jack, pressing closer as he pushed his tongue into Jack's mouth. Electing a soft moan from the young Guardian. It had been days since that first time they'd been alone and they had kissed, this feeling was so heady for them both though it might as well have been the first time. Pitch drew back, burying his head against Jack's neck, murmuring softly.

"Jack... do you really think this is a good idea here?"

"No, but I don't care." Jack whispered back.

"One of the other Guardians could come in."

"Doesn't matter." Pitch pulled back to gaze into the boy's eyes.

"You know that's not true. Even if they don't understand you, you care about them." Jack was silent as he stared back. He knew that Pitch was right. The Guardians barely tolerated Pitch's presence now, because of Jack, there was no way they were going to accept his feelings for the shade. They would accuse Pitch of brainwashing him or some other nonsense. Despite trying to be civil to Pitch around Jack, he'd still heard the whispered arguments at the door between the shade and some of the other Guardians. Bunny in particular.

"I can't keep this a secret from them even if I wanted to. Truth is... things have changed Pitch. You have changed... and... well..." The Guardian faltered for the words, a blush creeping into his face. He was suddenly nervous and scared all at once, Pitch watched him silently, he was afraid of something... of telling Pitch something, of rejection... Pitch waited to see what it was. He had no intentions of rejecting Jack, no matter what it was. The words were quiet, barely a whisper.

"I love you." Pitch would have thought it a joke if he didn't see the emotion in the young boy's eyes. Love. Pitch never would have thought it. He could barely remember the last time he had been so blessed. He then realized that was what this feeling was, the one he had been unable to give a name on his own because it had been so very very long... it had been so foreign to him with its warmth. A soft smile touched his features, Jack held his breath, scarcely daring to hope that what he saw in the other meant...

"I love you too, Jack." Tears of pure joy sprang into the boy's eyes and he buried his head against the other's robes, all the tension draining from him. A shadow snaked from Pitch to the door and worked at the handle, making itself into a lock to keep anyone else from coming into the room.

00000000000000000000

After a long moment of silence, Jack spoke, his voice a little shaky.

"I.. I kept waiting for this voice to tell me... that this was wrong... I mean, it wasn't that long ago that I thought you were the worst and I do mean the worst living being I'd ever met. As more time as gone by though... I find I just stopped caring... about whether it was right or wrong, about what had happened in the past... I can't stand the fact that I'm not as scared of you as I should be... that I've stopped thinking of you as evil... and that... that maybe you'd eventually get bored of me... and..." He hesitated.

"And that would be the end of it." Pitch finished for him, he then cradled Jack close to him.

"Oh Jack, haven't you ever had a -" He stopped when he saw the look in his lover's eyes, glad for the first time that he had not simply given into the urgency of his desire.

"No... I guess you haven't. Well, I'm not going anywhere." Jack still worried that it wouldn't last, but the words seemed to seep into him and he could forget his fears. Pitch had said he loved him, he could live with that and even if Pitch was lying... he already had confessed to loving the shade. Jack smiled, despite his thoughts; for all his composure, Pitch was really very open. He never said anything he didn't mean to and while he did have a "mask" he wore it wasn't so impenetrable; in fact, Pitch's eyes were the most expressive when it came to any number of emotions. Jack yawned, electing a soft chuckle from the other. Pitch shifted, Jack uttered a soft sound of sleepy protest, but all Pitch did was scoop him into his arms and carry him to the bed he'd been in before. Pitch then dressed himself before setting Jack's sweatshirt on on the end of his staff and slipped on Jack's trousers before tucking the boy in despite his sleepy protests that he wasn't a child.

"Stay..." Jack murmured when Pitch turned to leave. Pitch nodded and lay down next to him, draping one arm over him again. Jack shifted to his side and curled up against Pitch, snuggling into the warmth he provided and was asleep in moments; just warm enough to lull him to sleep without being uncomfortable.

The next day's light rose Jack, at first he wondered if he had a fever or something because he was so warm on one side, but pleasantly cool otherwise. When he opened his eyes he realized why, Pitch hadn't left as usual. The shade was fast asleep at his side, Jack couldn't remember ever seeing Pitch asleep and so he took the rare opportunity to observe. Pitch seemed so innocent, like nothing bad had ever touch him; Jack lightly brushed his fingers through the man's hair, remembering last night. He felt a surge of pure pleasure, Pitch had said he loved him! It was almost too good to be true. Noises beyond the door made Jack bolt up suddenly, flushing when he realized what this would look like, but to his surprise there were exclamations of surprise on the other side, of course... Pitch had a shadow seal the door to give them privacy. He felt a little better until he realized that North and Bunny would likely soon want to bust down the door just to get in to see him.

"I told you were never shoulda trusted him! He hasn't changed!" Bunny's voice rose over North's and Jack turned to Pitch to find that Pitch had awoken and was looking at him curiously.

"Shall we tell them now or later?"

"Later, definitely later..." Pitch nodded and rose from the bed, disappearing into the nearby shadows and the shadow that had kept the other two Guardians out disappeared with him. The two burst in, stumbling a little from the unexpected sudden giveaway of the door.

"Where is that shadow-sneaking rat-" Bunny began, but cut off when Jack cleared his throat.

"Ever hear of a little privacy?"

"We did knock." North admitted.

"I was probably asleep when you did. You didn't give me a chance, besides, I needed some time to reflect and talk to Pitch." Bunny gave Jack a look of disbelief as he scanned the room, ears twitching.

"Since when is that a good idea mate?" He seemed on the verge of reminding Jack of last year, but instead just left it at that. Jack could tell that the Pooka was fighting to keep from saying more and he was grateful. He didn't need to be reminding of what had happened last time he and Pitch had a "chat." That had been disastrous. Jack's eyes narrowed slightly as he met the eyes of the Pooka.

"Since I started talking with him days ago. Pitch isn't who you think he is." He found himself saying before he could think to stop.

"Whoa, just how hard did you hit your head mate?"

"Not hard enough. I know Pitch... better than any of you. I'm in the one who's been spending time with him, remember?"

"Still don't change fact. Pitch is dangerous." North replied.

"Maybe to you. Then again, when have any of you tried to understand him instead of just fighting against him blindly? When have any of you tried talking to him?" Even as he said the words he remembered the scene he'd made in the meeting room. He didn't regret it though.

"Is not so easy to just talk with Pitch, but I see point. Pitch is... different." North replied after a moment's silence.

"Whoa, wait a minute. Since when are you on his side mate?" Bunny asked. North shook his head.

"Been talking since he arrived. Pitch is Pitch, but not." Bunny just sort of stared at the Guardian of Wonder in confusion, but Jack understood. He nodded a little, relieved that North seemed to be starting to understand that Pitch might be the Nightmare King, but he wasn't a Nightmare himself.

"Is not that I forget, Bunny. Is that it not simple." Jack could tell that the Pooka wasn't sure what to think, confusion about the whole thing etched on his features. Pitch had been an enemy for the Guardians for centuries and only last year had their endless battle come to a climax that had actually cost both sides. There was no doubt about it, the Guardians were still disturbed by the day they'd nearly lost all their believers just as Pitch had been reeling from his defeat at the hands of Jamie and his friends, along with the Guardians.

"You're not seriously suggestin' we trust the bloke are ya?" Bunny asked uncertainly.

"No, but for now we have more serious matter. Pitch is not the enemy here." The Pooka nodded in agreement, he at least could understand that much. Jack felt relieved that the Guardian of Hope seemed to be coming around, even if it had taken him a while to warm up to Jack; there was no doubt about it, Bunny wasn't the type to just accept things when it came to former enemies. He wasn't ready to welcome Pitch with open arms into their little group, not that he'd done that with Jack either; it wasn't in the Pooka's nature.

"Look, I know this is hard for you. You're just going to have to trust me on this." Bunny nodded a little, he didn't like it, but the Guardian did trust Jack... Especially after what the frost spirit had done to make things up to him when he'd goofed up by simply not returning fast enough to the Warren to stop the Nightmares from ruining Easter. Jack hadn't any reason to do what he'd done, there had been no reason at all for the Guardian of Fun to keep the last light's belief alive when Jack himself had no believers. Maybe that's why he was struggling so hard now, to accept Pitch's presence in the workshop, because of Jack. Bunny knew good and well that Jack could have abandoned them, he'd had no reason at the time to do what he'd done for Bunny, especially not after the hurtful things the Pooka had said to him. Jack knew he'd messed up and Bunny's words had just made things worse, he'd caused a rift between Jack and the others, and himself. He'd wanted so badly to blame someone for what had happened, he'd blamed Jack but it was only after they had defeated Pitch had he realized just how wrong he'd been to do that. He'd apologized for it, later of course and Jack had seemed to take it in stride, if being a little baffled that Bunny had seemed to have the courage to do so. It seemed to Jack that Bunny was struggling to get past everything, for Jack's sake, ever since the meeting. Jack hadn't missed how subtly subdued the Pooka had seemed since their talk the other day.

"Bunny. Can I talk to you?" Jack glanced towards North meaningfully, hoping the other Guardian understood.

"Ah yes, keep him company no? I have business to attend." Jack was grateful that the other Guardian seemed to understand. It was only once North was gone that Bunny shuffled closer, his pink nose sniffing at the air. His eyes suddenly widening.

"Mate... what have you..." He couldn't get the words out, he seemed as shocked as he'd been during Jack's outburst at the meeting. Jack had the decency to pale, his silvery white skin becoming more white before flushing in complete embarrassment.

"I... how..." Jack tried to ask the question, Bunny sat back on his haunches, regarding Jack with disbelief for a good long moment.

"I can smell it mate... Have you any idea what you've done?!"

"Yeah, actually I do. Pitch was kind enough to explain this sort of thing to me during one of our evening chats, which is more than I can say of you." Bunny took a step back, like he'd been slapped.

"I... Blimey... the others aren't going to like this. Not a wit." Bunny ran one paw over his face.

"I'll be honest rabbit, you're taking this well." Pitch's silky voice came from a corner and Bunny spun about to face him.

"Hey, I might not like you but I ain't a few sandwiches short of a picnic." Bunny's face twisted up a little, obviously conflicted about the whole thing, but he wasn't making the racket that Jack was used to, that he'd expected. He turned back to Jack.

"Was there somethin' you wanted to say mate?"

"I just wanted to know why you seem to be acting like this, I'd say timid, but that's not it. You've never let anything slip by. What's going on?" Jack leaned back against the headboard, his arms crossed. Bunny shuffled his feet a little, staring at them before speaking.

"It's just... I care about ya mate. More than I figure I've let on, I don't wanna push ya off me. I know we don't always see eye to eye... but that don't mean I don't care. I'm worried about ya. About this whole mess." Jack dropped his arms, his eyes softening as he thought about how Bunny had hugged him last time they'd talked like this.

"I know you do and we're all worried. I just think you need to be more yourself. I miss being able to joke with you." Bunny perked up a little at that and gave Jack a rueful smile.

"That won't change mate, I just thought that maybe I should refrain meself until you're back to sorts." Jack nodded a little in understanding.

"Bunny, you won't... you won't tell the others, will you?" Bunny shook his head.

"Not mine to tell. Still, I think ya should. North is gonna catch ya in a lie sooner or later even if the others don't." Jack couldn't argue there, it was difficult to lie to the Guardian of Wonder and keep a straight face, let alone get away with it.

"I think I'm gonna hop off now mate." Bunny headed towards the door as Pitch moved from the corner towards the bed, Bunny paused, hissing quietly so only the shade heard when he got close.

"Ya do anythin' to hurt my mate an' you'll wish ya never came outta that hole o' yours. Got it?"

"I understand perfectly." Pitch replied smoothly with equal softness in his tone before moving to Jack's side.


	8. Army

Days past swiftly for Jack, even after he'd finally recovered fully he didn't venture to go to the meetings that were being held. It wasn't that he wasn't interested so much in that he'd become bored with the whole thing when he'd attended one meeting after he'd recovered. He was really surprised when he strolled out into the snowbanks to see several fae soldiers standing with Pitch, apparently listening to the shade with rapt attention as he spoke. Curiosity got the better of him and Jack floated over to the group where he could watch unobserved and hear what was being said.

"It is not to be taken lightly." Those who were there nodded.

"Of course, I have not been able to create this in many centuries and I won't be able to, but each movement is meant to invoke it." Jack wondered what the boogeyman was talking about. Nightmare sand swirled around his hands, a sword forming and Jack settled to watching as Pitch stepped into drills with the easy grace that spoke of practice. He couldn't help but feel impressed, his eyes watching his lover's every step and a shiver of pleasure went through him. He could feel a ghost of the gentle touch of his hands, and that was enough to make him blush as he continued to watch Pitch perform the drills again and again. Several of the fae began copying the steps that they were witnessing, it took several moments before any of them began to match Pitch's slow pace with the drill that eventually became faster as he saw the fae had picked it up swiftly. After what seemed like hours though, the group finally stopped. Apparently none of them having achieved whatever result they were after. Pitch turned, as if Jack had spoken his name, the sword dissolving as he met Jack's eyes. Jack couldn't help the smile on his face, though he felt Pitch wasn't satisfied as Jack floated over to him.

"You don't seem happy, why's that?" Pitch shook his head with a sigh.

"The fae who possess power over light wish for me to teach them how to produce a light that would repel my Shadows." Jack's eyebrows shot up in surprise. Pitch gave a low chuckle at the sight.

"You remember I told you I was from the stars?" Jack nodded.

"Part of being a warrior of that army, we were able to produce a light for healing and fighting. It was the only thing that would defeat the Shadows and free any who were trapped within. Of course, I can't produce it myself; the Shadows have made sure of that." Jack frowned thoughtfully.

"Why would they let you teach someone else then?"

"Because they don't have a choice. The wards that North has around this place keeps the Shadows at bay, with the exception of the Nightmares I've brought with me. Being made of dreamsand themselves, the wards don't affect them as they do the Shadows; only the weakest of Shadows has made it in here with me and is hardly a threat to anyone." Jack supposed it made sense, though he didn't fully understand how it was possible.

"I'm not sure I get it." Pitch ruffled his hair affectionately.

"Honestly, I don't either. I only know what is. Even after all this time, I don't know everything there is to know about the others."

"Um... so..." Jack ducked his head a little, the contact reminded him of what Bunny had said before Pitch had appeared. Pitch waited patiently to see what Jack would say, which Jack thought was different for him.

"You know Bunny knows about us... right?"

"I didn't hear that part of your talk, but it does not surprise me, considering the Pooka's heightened sense of smell."

"I guess I should tell the others... I just... I'm not sure how." Jack sighed, his shoulders slumping a little.

"Jack." Pitch could sense Jack's fear rising in him.

"I... I just..." Jack began. He couldn't voice his doubts to Pitch about their relationship; even if Pitch had said he loved him, there was still the matter of him being the Nightmare King and his history of using deception to get what he wanted. What if Pitch had only said that because he knew Jack wanted to hear it? So he could use Jack to his own ends? What if Pitch left? The thought of that sent pain careening through him like nothing he'd ever felt before.

"Jack! No!" Pitch's hands were on his shoulders, when Jack looked into those golden orbs he saw pain and worry. He sucked a breadth in as his fears threatened to overtake him all at once. He'd spent 300 years trying vainly to get someone, _anyone_ to pay attention to him, to look at him.

"I'm not going anywhere. Don't even think of it." Pitch pulled him into his arms roughly, holding him tightly against him. Jack buried his head against his black robes, he smelled like the woods and smoke; as he breathed in Pitch's scent he felt the tension drain from him and slowly his fears were soothed away. He felt calmer, almost peaceful as he clung to the other like a child to its mother. Even so, tears he hadn't known he'd been holding back streamed down his face; he sobbed quietly, Pitch said nothing, threading his fingers through the boy's hair, knowing that he needed this. He'd been bottling it up for centuries and it had become too much, the boy needed a form of release; first in their intimacy, now in the tears that Pitch desired to sooth away. He didn't noticed that Pitch was frowning, because several feet away Tooth was just staring at the two of them with her mouth open. His expression read 'Not now.' even as he realized that Bunny was coming up behind her, joined by North and Sandy. The other three Guardians gently prodding the shellshocked Tooth back inside. Pitch watched them leave with some amusement. He'd noticed that Tooth seemed to be the only one who was shocked as he'd held Jack possessively. He turned his attention back to Jack, who seemed to have finally completely spent his tears and was leaning heavily against him. Pitch quickly scooped him up and went inside, Jack didn't protest, simply laid his head against him as Pitch went back inside and headed to the guest room that North had been letting him stay in.

He refrained from sighing, knowing he would need to speak with the other Guardians after he had tucked Jack in. He sent out a tendril of Shadow to pull back the dark purple covers before laying Jack onto the bed and settling the covers over the frost spirit. He watched Jack curl up a little on the bed and waited a moment until he was sure Jack had settled into sleep before quietly closing the door, the walls were a deep navy blue; while Pitch did prefer black, this room was the closest he got to it and he'd not minded it too much, it was a nice change really though he'd never admit that to the Guardian of Wonder. He closed the door quietly and headed off with silent steps to face the other Guardians. A yeti, probably ordered to by North, indicated that he was to follow and Pitch did so; the room that he found the other Guardians in was a lounging room. There were plush chairs, two fireplaces and piles of cushions all about the room, it was definitely a room meant for comfort; Pitch felt himself stiffen a little. North and Sandy were sitting in one of the plush chairs, the two enjoying some eggnog while Tooth hovered nearby Sandy. Bunny lounged near one of the fireplaces.

"I assume you intend me to discuss what you saw." His expression was carefully schooled. He noticed that neither Sandy or North seemed anything but at ease.

"Yes!" It was Tooth who had responded.

"I suppose it's only natural." He crossed his arms as he regarded the small group. Bunny didn't seem to be paying much attention and being near one of the fireplaces he'd pretty much put distance between him and the others as if he expected they would pounce on him if he didn't.

"What was that all about?! If you hurt him-" Tooth said indignantly.

"Tooth." It was North who'd spoken, his tone quiet, but effectively forestalling any threat that the fairy Guardian might have spouted.

"Hear 'im out mates." Bunny said, surprising the others, he still wasn't looking at the others, his ears drooping a little.

"You knew about this?" North asked and Pitch almost smirked when the rabbit shifted uneasily.

"I... uh... Well, sort of. My nose is kinda sensitive ya know and... well I just kind of put two and two together."

"You." The single word from Tooth, directed at Pitch, seemed to hold both fury and utter shock at the same time. Pitch returned her gaze coldly.

" _That_ is between me and Jack." Tooth seemed about to say something, but then promptly shut her mouth.

"It is difficult. Seeing Jack with you when you were enemy year ago. I want see Jack happy, he is like son." Pitch relaxed a little, nodding at what North said; dropping his arms back to his sides.

"I have no intention of hurting Jack. Believe it or not, that little frost spirit has a way of worming into places you don't intend for him to. I think it started when I realized he didn't have any memories, I imagine you remember that fight Sanderson." Sandy nodded, signs rapidly flashing over the little golden man's head.

 _As long as Jack is happy, I am happy._ Pitch almost smiled at that, being nearly as old as himself he had expected the Guardian of Dreams to be the most understanding and hadn't been disappointed. He was wary of the Guardians, but little by little he began to start relaxing around them. Tooth and Bunny seemed to still be wary of him, but he figured those two would need more time. Sanderson seemed to be the most forgiving, considering what he'd done to the little Guardian the year before; North wasn't so much forgiving as willing to try and be welcoming. Pitch watched the group thoughtfully, the Guardians weren't that bad... when they weren't trying to stamp out his Shadows. Before he knew it, he was watching the Sandman and Bunny engaging in an eggnog drinking contest; a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth in amusement. North and Tooth had been drawn into the competition, while Tooth flitted about to fill empty cups and North was heartily encouraging them both. In the end, Sandy won the competition when Bunny failed to drink all of the eggnog from his refilled cup. Pitch shook his head, marveling that the golden Guardian had held his own against the larger Pooka. While the group was laughing over the competition, Pitch snuck out; he felt a little like a third wheel to the group, like he didn't belong. He knew he didn't, but he did know where he did belong and he headed back to the guest room North had given him. He saw that Jack was laying on his side, his back to the door. Pitch smiled a little, his expression softening at the sight of the boy who had changed things for him in unexpected ways. He went over to the window and glanced up, the moon was high in the sky now and seemed to glow more brightly for a moment. Pitch's expression became one of utter shock when he heard a familiar voice softly wash over his mind.

 _ **You have my blessing.**_ He stared up at the moon, he had been enemies with the Man in the Moon for as long as he had been on this planet. He had hated the Man in the Moon and not just because he'd created the Guardians, but due to the fact that he'd once blamed him for what had befallen Pitch. For sending him into a war that had made him into Pitch Black, the Nightmare King. He'd once been a protector to the Lunaroff and his family, but now... Now he wasn't sure what he felt about the other as he stared up at the moon. It certainly wasn't anything like he felt before the Fearlings had taken over him, but it wasn't quite like after either. He'd hated him for centuries, and now? Well, he didn't care. He felt he was being watched and turned to see that Jack was sitting up in bed, watching him. Pitch wasn't sure what it was about the boy exactly, was it his expression? His snow touched skin? Regardless of the reason, he couldn't deny that his gut clenched with want. He moved from the window and settled on the end of the bed, his arms winding about Jack as he pressed into a gentle kiss. Jack enfolded him in his cool embrace as he responded to the kiss, passion flaring between them.

When Pitch got up off the bed Jack felt a little bit of panic, however ridiculous it was, shoot through him and he reached for Pitch without thinking. Pitch, worried, turned and clasped Jack's hand, gently squeezing.

"Shhh, it's okay. I'm just going to open a window and get a towel." Jack felt the fear subside somewhat at the gesture, Pitch let go and went to the window; opening it to let the wintery air in and to the adjacent bathroom to get a towel. When he returned he gently started cleaning Jack, who simply lay on his back now beneath the covers. Pitch set the towel aside to slip beneath the covers, Jack's eyes blissful slid closed as the cool air washed over him.

"I'm cold." Jack murmured sleepily as Pitch settled next to him.

"You're always cold." Pitch replied with a hint of a smile.

"No, m' _cold._ " He muttered, settling against Pitch. Whatever his response was, Jack didn't hear it as his conscious mind slipped away and he drifted to sleep.

Jack didn't stir again until several hours later, he felt pleasantly warm and cool at the same time. Pitch was sleeping next to him, a smile flitted across his face as he turned his head to look at the sleeping shade. He watched for a moment before closing his eyes again, he ached pleasantly; he thought it over and felt a blush come to his cheeks. Pitch had been so gentle, Jack felt cherished, loved. It had never once occurred to him that Pitch could be anything like this. He felt the gentle brush of fingers along his side and knew that Pitch must be awake now. He opened his eyes to find golden ones watching him.

"So beautiful..." Jack felt heat flush into his cheeks at the soft words, unable to keep the gaze, he glanced away. Even at the words he felt a twinge in his heart, fear that all this was temporary, that it was too good to last and that eventually it would all come to an end; it was just too good to be true-

"Jack." Pitch's hand cupped his cheek, turning his gaze back to those amber eyes that made his heart melt.

"I don't want you thinking such things." He lightly stroked the cold cheek with his thumb.

"I don't wish to be anywhere but here, with you." Jack wanted so much to believe... Pitch gently tugged at his bottom lip with his teeth, his embrace tightening as he murmured.

"You're _mine_ now, Jack. I'm not going to let go so easily." Even as heat colored his cheeks, Jack felt his heart clench at the words, but it was a good feeling. One he couldn't exactly explain or put to words as Pitch cradled him against his warm body. It felt like home. Something that Jack hadn't really known since he'd been alive. The possessiveness of Pitch's words made his toes curl with pleasure; he'd never belonged to anyone before this and now... Well, he didn't think about it.


	9. Battle Within

Sunlight glittered along the snowy rises of the North Pole, making the ground look like it was sprinkled with diamonds. A beauty that no mortal had seen as none could get to the North Pole where the Workshop was. Jack stood on a balcony that overlooked the training grounds, behind him was just another room, he was sitting with North who seemed to be taking a break while below Pitch was busy going through drills with the fae. North hadn't said anything in the short time they'd both been on the balcony.

"I know you want to talk about it. So go ahead, say what you are going to say." Jack said, not looking at the larger Guardian who was lounging in the only chair on the balcony.

"I am concerned for you Jack. It was shock. Seeing you and Pitch together like that."

"He's not the same as he was a year ago."

"I know now, but is still hard. I don't want to see you hurt." Jack glanced over and gave him a grin that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"I can handle it." North sighed, nothing got by him.

"Jack, is difficult for me but can see is difficult for you as well."

"What do you mean?" His grin faded, he wasn't sure he wanted to get into this, especially not with North of all people.

"I can see it in eyes, Jack. You have doubt." Jack shrugged and looked away again.

"I know this difficult. Especially for you, being you spent much time alone. Was not right." Hearing those words made Jack spin around in surprise. He'd always felt that it wasn't right that he'd been forced into a 300 year solitude, but to hear it from someone else... to see the sadness in the eyes of the Guardian of Wonder made his heart clench.

"North... I..." He fumbled a little for words.

"Is natural you doubt. Had I known I would have done better to be there for you. I cannot change past, but I am here now." Jack dropped his head, his expression unreadable.

"I just... I'm not sure I deserve it." His voice was quiet, almost a whisper.

"I always thought that I was alone because I deserved to be, because I'd done something wrong... That it was my fault and that..." His throat closed up and Jack found he couldn't go on.

"No Jack, is our fault for not seeing you. Not helping." North put a hand on his shoulder as Jack felt tears beginning to well in his eyes only to fall silently.

"Jack, I want to help. You need talk to me though if I am."

"I just... I thought you'd be mad..." Jack said when he recovered his breath again, his voice shaky.

"About me and Pitch... that... I wouldn't be a Guardian anymore because..." He glanced up at North and felt shock turn into a painful clench at his heart when he saw the hurtful surprise in the other's eyes.

"Jack, why would you think such thing? I would never do anything like that."

"I... I know you wouldn't... you've been so good to me it's just... I was worried. I meant to tell you and the others after Bunny found out... Pitch is different." North nodded.

"This I know. Have seen it, you are good for him Jack. I just worry for you, I don't want you to get hurt. I also do not want you to hurt him." Jack blinked.

"How would I hurt him?" Jack seemed puzzled.

"Is no mystery Jack, I see way you look at him and way he look at you when he think you not paying attention. Is obvious to all he loves you."

"I donno about that..." Jack began before trailing off.

"Is true. I see for myself. Maybe you have doubt, but I know love when I see it." Jack smiled a little before turning to continue watching the drills. There was a shout of glee and Jack saw that one of the fae had managed to produce a golden light as Pitch watched knowingly with a nod. Several of the others around the successful fae stopped their own drills to watch a moment, cheering on their comrade who had been successful. After a moment, they went back to their drills while Pitch spoke with the fae who'd managed to produce the light.

"Is pretty. Hopefully others will get it soon too, could be very useful in fight." Jack nodded, there was no telling how useful it might be, but better safe than sorry.

Several hours later, Jack was seated comfortably on the arm of a chair in Pitch's room while Pitch was reading a book. At this hour, normally the workshop was quiet, but the sound of heavy footsteps quickly approaching made Jack turn towards the door as the handle turned. Pitch looked up as well, it was North who was at the door.

"I am having bad news." The Guardian of Wonder said when he saw the two.

"We know where Cahal will strike next thanks to Melusina spies. Is at schools." Pitch nodded, reading North's fears as he shut the book.

"Primary schools?" The other Guardian nodded grimly.

"Battle is upon us."

"We aren't ready," Pitch murmured under his breath. "we're not ready yet..." A cold hand seemed to clench at Jack's heart, his mind instantly going to Jamie and his friends. All the things he remembered hearing about Cahal and his group came crashing down, that they were carnivores who ate people; that they didn't care who was hurt so long as they got what they wanted... That was just the tip of the iceberg. It was bad enough that people were missing and had been attacked when seeking fresh water, but this... this was something else altogether.

"Will see you at meeting?" North asked and Pitch nodded, but it was only when North left that Jack heard Pitch's breath begin to come out shakily and a truth hit Jack like a truck; Pitch was scared.

Jack found little to do as he waited for the meeting to be over, he skimmed some frost over a window, he found that his mind really wasn't on that though as he watched the frost spiral on its own. He was thinking of Pitch. In such a short time he had fallen hard in terms of Pitch, or rather the person that Pitch had seemed to become around him. It was like he'd peeled back layers that Pitch had been wearing, that what he'd seen at the South Pole had been his first glimpse of the real Pitch; the one that no one else seemed to want to see... or couldn't see for any number of reasons. Sure the others seemed to accept Pitch's presence, but Jack had a feeling that, like himself, Pitch wasn't truly understood by the other Guardians. They were at least trying though, he'd seen that much. Jack ran a hand through his hair, the only Guardian he'd talked to since the revelation on his relationship had been North. Tooth and Sandy both had proved to be too busy to be cornered for even a few minutes for him to get their opinion on this, to really explain anything to either of them though Sandy hadn't seemed to have a problem with it at all. As for Bunny, well considering that one's nose he might as well have _walked in_ on the two of them... Strangely, the Pooka seemed to have taken it all in stride, which puzzled Jack to no end even after he'd spoken with him on the matter. The sound of footsteps behind him that were almost too quiet to be heard told him who was coming close; Pitch obviously wasn't trying to sneak up on him, he knew the boogeyman could be more quiet than that if that was his aim. He didn't turn.

"We leave tonight." Jack didn't say anything for a moment before nodding.

"Why do you think he's doing this?"

"I do not know. I imagine there are plenty of reasons, many of which would be beyond comprehending." Pitch said dryly. Jack sighed a little, he wanted all of this to be over so he could have time to figure this whole thing out with Pitch. He knew too well that words weren't enough... He'd seen families and relationships crumble even when both sides had professed love. He wanted to believe, he really did, but he just couldn't; and he knew too well that physical expressions of love... well... they weren't always love, sometimes they were just actions of lust, of want, of manipulation. Jack had been around to see both sides and how it could wound those involved.

"Jack." He knew Pitch could sense his fears about him. He couldn't help it, but he pushed away from the window. Talking about it wasn't going to help, he needed... something. He wasn't sure what that something was, but he desperately needed it.

"I don't want to talk about it." Before Pitch could say anything more, Jack flew off to another part of the Workshop, leaving the bewildered boogeyman to stare after him.

Everything was chaos. That was the best way to describe the battle before him, Pitch and himself were part of a small team with some other fae and dwarves to do battle with the group of Unseelie that were attacking this particular school. There were four teams in all, Jack knew that much, but didn't bother himself with the details of it. He didn't need to know that much as he soared across the parking lot of the school, shocking Unseelie fae with lightning ice and normal ice. Cahal seemed to stand at ease near the doors of the school with several of the horse-like Ceffyl Dwr around him and a few water nymphs, that wasn't the only enemy that was there though; dropping from the sky were tengu, bird-like warriors that had the heads of birds as well as wings and their hands and feet were talons. Among the Unseelie fae were Boggarts and Banshee who fought with the fae and dwarves that had come with Pitch and Jack, swords and other weapons clashing fiercely. Behind a police barrier, several yards from the edge of the battle, were worried parents and other adults who couldn't get close. Jack knew they could neither see nor hear the battle that was before them and thought it all the better that they couldn't, blessing the fact that also there was some sort of barrier around the place that was keeping the humans out. He didn't care which side had put it up, but he fought his way towards Cahal, Pitch right behind him as he commanded his Nightmares, directing them to attack the Ceffyl Dwr; Jack sped towards the other, hands clenched on his staff as he saw but tried to ignore the bodies strewn everywhere and the blood. There was so much blood... he was terrified of what he might find in the school, but even so he flew towards his adversary who seemed to be only armed with a simple rapier. As Jack drew closer he felt something hooking inside of him and pulling him closer towards his adversary; what was this feeling? He ignored it even as Cahal drew the rapier, waiting for Jack to get close while those that had surrounded him moments before had rushed into battle with other fae. Even the nymphs, who were using spears, were dancing the dance of battle. Jack poured on speed as he wanted to freeze Cahal where he stood, he tried brushing aside what he felt; but as he closed the distance that feeling was harder and harder to shake. It was only when he got too close, close enough to see his enemy smirk, that he realized with dawning dread what it was and by then it was too late. _Compulsion._ He landed a few feet from Cahal.

"Good boy." Jack wanted to fight and lurched forward.

"Hold." Jack stopped at the command.

"Sleep." Jack felt fear grip him even as he dropped like a rock. His last conscious thought was wondering where Pitch was, had he seen? Did he know that Jack was - darkness took him.

Pitch watched as the enemy was driven back, he'd lost sight of Jack, but didn't go look for him even though he felt a twinge of worry. He crushed it down ruthlessly. The boy could look after himself after all. The children had been fine, not a single one had been harmed though there was no doubt in his mind that they would have nightmares for many weeks about this. He'd worked with a fae named Gwyn to free the children had been able to deal with the tengu who'd been guarding them without too much trouble. The children had been utterly terrified, but Pitch had ignored them, a few had been confused when they'd realized that the one who usually terrified them during the night was actually _helping_ to free them. He'd felt their confusion, their eyes on him, but he'd pressed on in the battle until it had been free of any remaining enemies. It was only when he stood in the parking lot that he began to wonder where Jack was and started looking around. He looked over the group that was left from the battle, they had actually only lost two of the fae that had been part of their original group.

"Where's Frost?" Pitch asked the fae called Gwyn. The one who'd been able to produce the golden light during training.

"I don't know, I haven't seen him." Pitch felt worry rise in him then and began searching every inch of the place for the frost spirit but Jack was no where to be found and suddenly he felt fear rising in him as he began to put together why they had won the battle so easily; Jack was gone. Pitch summoned his Nightmares to him, calling the Nightmare Men and Fearlings.

"Find Jack Frost." The Nightmares scattered instantly, but the Fearlings and Nightmare Men didn't budge, eyeing him with defiance. Pitch eyed them with scorn for a moment before something began to dawn on him, they weren't willing to simply find their enemy because he said to. They had a hatred for Jack that was routed because of the previous year.

"Of all the times!" Pitch roared suddenly, the Fearlings scattered at his second silent command, but the Nightmare Men seemed to be fighting back. It was mutiny. Anger flared in Pitch as he stared them down before with a shriek they suddenly vanished, as if struck. It took Pitch a moment to realize that he _had_ struck and it hadn't been with the usual nightmare sand, the golden glow that was now fading from his hand sent a shockwave through him. He stared at his hand as the glow faded completely. Where had that come from? How could he... He hadn't been able to produce that light since before... What was going on? Was this why the Fearlings and Nightmare Men had rebelled? How was it that this light was still inside him? Hadn't the Fearlings that had taken him over crushed it? After all these centuries, how was it that it still lived inside of him?

When Jack awoke he felt heavy. There was something on his wrists, binding them over his head and keeping him aloft and his staff was out of his reach against the cavern wall. His shoulders ached sorely from it, he slowly blinked and looked up groggily in the muted light. It was seaweed. He yanked on it experimentally but it held. He glanced around to note that he was somewhere damp, with a sickening feeling he wondered if anyone had noticed his absence... He pushed those thoughts down as he tried to get a better gage on his surroundings but it was too dark for him as he couldn't really see that well in the dark and the only light was from torches that were along the walls every few feet.

"Awake at last I see." Jack's head snapped around to see that Cahal was standing in front of him. He stared at the other warily, why had he brought him here?

"It's about time, apparently you are more easily caught than I thought. A wonder I didn't do this sooner... but then again you're a tough one to get alone considering you spend all your free time dallying with the shadow." Jack paled when he realized that Cahal meant Pitch. The other laughed upon seeing his expression.

"Oh yes, I know all about you two, I've been keeping my eye on you." Jack met his eyes squarely, his mind racing to what he could do to turn the tables on the Pond Spirit.

"Discharge your power into the ground, all of it." Unable to fight the Compulsion, Jack did as he was told. Feeling a bit dizzy afterwards, knowing now that he had no defense against this creature and that any plan he could think of to free himself wasn't likely to work as long as he was in the grip of the Compulsion. His body shook from the lack of the energy that was part of his life force, he panted, as if he'd been mortal and had been forced to run for miles without stopping.

"I must say I'm intrigued how someone as weak as you could be considered a Guardian, let alone important. I wonder... will anyone but the Guardians care if I break you?" Jack bit back a nasty retort, especially when he saw the hungry way that Cahal was staring at him. It wasn't a look he liked at all. You can't break me. Just wait until Pitch finds me...

"I imagine you miss him. Go on, speak. I can tell you're just dying to say something."

"Let me go, I'm nothing to you."

"You will be nothing to me once I'm done with you."

"Why are you doing this?" Jack almost wished he hadn't asked when he saw the smile on Cahal's face.

"Because you mean something to him." Jack snorted with disbelief, but he couldn't deny he'd been told that.

"Why attack the schools? Why children?"

"Because children are delicious," Jack felt revulsion churn in his stomach. "How tedious you are, trying to appeal to my humanity when I have none. It doesn't do you any good to offend me by comparing me to the dumb animals I eat." Jack laughed bitterly.

"Why not? You're going to hurt me anyway." The sweet smile that bloomed on Cahal's face sickened him to the core.

"Yes I am. I intend to do more than that though, I am going to break you. Did you know that a broken person is a liability during war? First they are unable to think as they once did and often this change is permanent. Secondly that person saps the energies of those they care about the most even when they don't mean or want to. Being cared by others, when you're visible, makes breaking you even more meaningful than any battle because they will want to soothe and care for you, some may even go as far as wanting vengeance. All this will take time and energy, some of which drive away rational thought."

"Is this about revenge then?" Jack asked.

"In a way. Though you seem to be nearly everywhere, you were poking your nose into places you had no business to, you even drew the attention of the Nightmare King to yourself and managed to get him to agree to a truce with the Guardians, and you were at the school fighting off my allies. You can say that I don't particularly like you."

"Have you always liked the sound of your own voice this much?" Jack asked, gritting his teeth a little as he narrowed his eyes at the Pond Spirit. The fact that Cahal liked to talk reminded him of Pitch from the previous year, the Nightmare King had loved to turn talk into a kind of torture, playing mind-games for the sheer smug pleasure of twisting Jack around his little finger to his own ends. Jack remembered that Pitch had warned him against Cahal.

"Stay there." Jack tried fighting against the simple command as he felt his bonds loosen, but he couldn't get his body to respond no matter how much he fought. The Compulsion was far too strong for him, he cursed inwardly as he strained to run, to move, to do anything.

"Strip." The single word filled Jack with dread even as his body moved against his will to comply. He felt horror, he had assumed his enemy would torture him, even compel him to spill secrets about the others - bad certainly, but he had never thought that he would... would...

No, no, no, no... this can't be happening! His mind screamed as Cahal closed the distance between them.

"Step towards me four paces." Jack's body complied and his mind screamed against this as Cahal circled around him now, eyeing him like a predator would eye a piece of raw meat simply sitting in the open. He didn't seem to find any pleasure in it, however, a look of disgust on his face when he came back around to face Jack.

"I don't see what he sees in you."

"Let me go." Jack repeated, knowing it was useless but saying it nonetheless. He had to suppress a shudder as he felt the other's hands along his shoulders and back. He gasped out when Cahal sank his teeth into one shoulder, enough to draw blood. He then pulled back, licking the blood from his lips.

"Interesting taste... How rude of me not to share, would you like some?" Jack didn't reply as Cahal placed a mockery kiss next to the bite he'd inflicted. He then moved around to then sink his teeth into Jack's side and before Jack could even register what really had happened he heard the sound of chewing. Jack screamed, not so much in pain as to drown out the sickening sound that made him want to retch.

"Ice it." Jack tried to comply, his power wanting to comply with the demand as he felt blood slick through his fingers, but it couldn't because Cahal had demanded he discharge all his power; there was nothing left.

"You're the most pathetic frost spirit I've met yet. Honestly, I wonder why the Nightmare King ever bothered with you." Jack inwardly flinched, the other's words echoing the doubts in his heart; the doubts he himself had. Cahal moved into the line of sight and saw that he was wiping blood from his mouth, that undid Jack and he fell to his hands and knees, retching instantly; though all that came up was a flurry of snowflakes as he'd not eaten anything in so long that there wasn't anything in his stomach.

"Honestly, we haven't even begun yet." Cahal saw this, frowning thoughtfully.

"Just get on with it already." Jack spat.

"On with it? Are you really in such a hurry?"

"I was right, you do enjoy the sound of your own voice; if you're going to rape me get it over with already so I can get back to kicking your butt." Jack wasn't as confident as he sounded and pain lancing through him was clouding his thinking, his judgement.

"Rape you? Don't flatter yourself. I'd never sully myself with the likes of you, you're not even good enough to be food. So sorry to disappoint you. Then again, the expectations of guests always seem to trump plans of the host." Jack wished he hadn't said anything at all. Cahal was too good at turning things back on him.

"If anything, I am always a good host." Cahal said after a moment's thought, he walked a few paces away, obviously off in thought. Jack stood quietly, aware that his wound had finally stopped bleeding, but his hand was sticky with his blood. It wasn't serious, but it wasn't something Jack wanted to dwell on for the moment. When Cahal turned about a smile ghosted on his face.

"You are welcome to sit, but you are to stay here and not try to escape." Jack shuddered as the Compulsion settled on him.

"I'll be back." He then walked off, leaving Jack to do whatever he wanted so long as it wasn't escape. He hoped that Cahal was done, but held no real hope of that being true; he shuddered from the revulsion now that Cahal was done for now, and gone. Jack picked up his clothes and dressed again, taking care to not bump his wound. He glanced around for anything to use to wrap it up with, but sadly there was nothing. With nothing else to do, he picked up his staff and settled against the wall, staring at nothing as he felt his heart sink. He would have curled up if his side didn't ache. The blood seeping into the material, but there was nothing he could about it, he felt so helpless, just as he remembered feeling after Pitch had broken his staff. He'd learned then his power wasn't reliant on the staff, but having it broken had hurt nonetheless.

"Why are you like this? Unseen, unable to reach out to anyone." The words spoken just the year before to him by Pitch echoed in his mind. Pitch. Jack felt tears stream down his face, he felt so alone. The composure he'd kept up around the Pond Spirit cracked and Jack was racked with silent sobs. Where was Pitch now? Why hadn't he been found? Did anyone even know he was gone? Did anyone care? Wasn't he missed? Jack fell into a deep sleep. When he awoke it was because of the tugs of Compulsion and he knew it, it was a feeling he easily distinguished from the natural feeling of being pulled from sleep by the sun. Jack trembled with sobs, the loneliness of all his years crashing over him and the fear that he would be trapped here, at the mercy of the Pond Spirit, that everyone had forgotten him and he was invisible once more. That he was alone again. His heart clenched as he quietly sobbed, the darkness of despair seeping into every part of his being. He began to hear soft whispers.

Why fight it? You know they don't trust you, they don't see you as one of them. You will forever be alone, unseen. Unwanted. Even he won't come. Why would he? Why would he want such a weak winter spirit when he could have anyone else? Why would he want a murderer? The whispers in his mind tore at his heart, doubt seemed to make him feel so heavy now. He wanted to die, for it all to just stop, but the sweet embrace of death would never come. He was immortal now, he curled up into himself, his staff forgotten as he retreated deep within himself; he barely felt the burn of his wounds. Misery etched into every inch of his features. This was how Cahal found him when he finally did return, it had only been a few minutes really but apparently his attentions were a lot more effective than he had thought they would be. For a long moment he just stood there, looking at the frost spirit who practically radiated dark thoughts. All of them likely inward from the way he was huddled against the wall, this was... intriguing, but he needed to break the ice spirit and he intended to.

"You know, most people would fight this, you are the most susceptible being I've met. Why aren't you trying?"

"I did." Jack replied, his voice quiet and heavy with his despair. The fight seemed to have gone out of him, even as much as he hated the Compulsion. For a brief moment he struggled harder to get control, but it wasn't working. It was a horrifying and despairing thought that a human could do better than he; that others would have done more. It only added to his distress. He finally gave up, it wasn't worth it and he obviously lacked whatever it was that allowed others to fight against it.

"Really?" Cahal stepped forward and dug his nails into Jack's side, but even as Jack cried out in pain he didn't move.

"Even pain doesn't make you move back. What use are you to anyone else? Moral support? Are you just kept around by the Guardians to make them feel better?" Jack felt first aghast by the words before feeling the icy hand at his heart clench tighter; it was a suspicion he'd had harbored those first few days that he'd been a Guardian, even after Pitch's defeat. He began to feel numb from the pain that twisted in his heart and left him feeling as if gravity itself had become stronger, as if his body was too heavy for him.

"What are they planning? The Guardians and the others." Jack bit his lip at the question, so hard in fact that he drew blood and this caused Cahal to raise an eyebrow. The Compulsion sunk deep, but Jack didn't utter a single sound.

"So you can fight me on matters of your friends but not your own well being? You are an absolute puzzle Jack Frost." Jack had to suppress a shudder when he saw a smile on the Pond Spirit's face. Even in his deep despair, he still felt revulsion for the other spirit. The taste of his own blood was revolting to him, but he still didn't relent.

"Still, this solidifies my plan." When Jack refused to speak further Cahal sighed.

"Fine, fine. You don't have to answer and stop before you bite your lip off completely. I don't plan to deliver a completely mangled gift." Jack felt only temporary physical relief as he stopped biting his lip, the coppery taste of his own blood didn't sit well with him at all and made him feel queasy. As if he wasn't sick enough from the emotions that churned inside him like a maelstrom.

"There is something else that you can tell me though." Jack felt his stomach clench at the other's next words.

"Tell me what he did to comfort you." Jack jerked, but he couldn't fight the Compulsion this time. He didn't want to do this, he didn't want...

"H-he... he would put his hands through my hair." He confessed, his voice strained.

"Like this?" Cahal asked, Jack flinched as he felt Cahal gently brush his fingers through his hair, lightly brushing his scalp. Jack suddenly realized what it was Cahal was doing, what he would ruin by doing this.

"Don't fight me on this." He said, lightly sliding a finger along Jack's cheek before sliding that hand through Jack's hair lightly. Jack shuddered with revulsion, his vision began to blur and to his horror he realized that he was beginning to cry as Cahal's gentle touch was slowly taking him apart piece by little piece.

"Stop..." Jack pleaded, but it did no good.

"Tell me something else that he has done."

"He would touch my face." Cahal had to think about it a moment before he cupped Jack's face in his hands and lightly traced his features, sliding his thumbs along Jack's cheeks in a gentle caress that made Jack dizzy with sickness. He wanted this to stop, he would do anything to make it stop.

Something flickered in the corner of his eye. Was that a shadow? Cahal turned, letting go of Jack as he'd obviously seen it as well. It was a Nightmare and for the first time Jack felt something like hope flicker through him. Cahal growled out a curse and started towards the Nightmare, but was too late as it was already dissolving into the nearby shadows and was gone before the Pond Spirit could reach it.

"Blast it all. Well, I suppose the fun had to end some time. Do tell Pitch hello for me won't you?" Cahal left Jack standing there and Jack sank to his knees, quietly sobbing. He barely even registered Pitch's presence when the boogeyman appeared. Pitch didn't hesitate to pick him up, staff and all, and disappear back into the shadows. Racked with all the emotions that churned within him, Jack fell into unconsciousness before Pitch could get a good grasp on what he was feeling from him. A blessed darkness that seemed warm and welcoming after the darkness of his own soul had threatened to swallow him. Pitch wouldn't let anyone near him after he'd settled Jack into the bed in his room. He'd argued fervently with each of the Guardians. It had seemed to take hours before they'd all backed down and left Pitch to watch over Jack. Pitch made sure that his Nightmares didn't get anywhere near Jack; he had no doubt that the boy had suffered, but how much he did not know just yet. He would speak to Jack about it, but not before the frost spirit was ready and he had an idea that wouldn't be any time too soon. He looked in on Jack several times before deciding to stand watch near the door. It was only when he started to feel a bit of a chill did he go check on Jack again only to realize that Jack was gone from the room, the window slightly ajar. Pitch cursed, searching the workshop to try and find the boy, but no one had seen him. He was gone, again. Pitch didn't like how he felt about that, but North had told him to settle and that it was likely Jack was just flying around the pole to clear his head. It hadn't calmed Pitch, it hadn't helped that the other Guardians had only repeated North's words in their own ways. He clenched his fists and sent his Nightmares off again to find the frost spirit. He had just gotten him back and now he was gone, again! He wanted to at least make sure the boy was safe. He paced inside the empty room now, waiting for word from his minions.


	10. Weapon Against Fear

It hadn't occurred to Jack to leave a note or anything when he'd left. He had realized where he was when he'd finally managed to fight his way back to consciousness again. He'd been numb, his bite wounds had throbbed but he wasn't surprised to note that they were little more than that. The cool air felt great, he'd felt sick before and not just because of what had happened, but he'd been getting too hot for his own good. He sighed a little in pure joy, he had needed this. Even so he'd left the North Pole, he needed to get away from Pitch before his fear could rise in him or he did something he regretted. He had every intention of going back, but first, there was something he needed. Being 300 years old had its advantages, he'd heard rumors once of a particularly scary fae who would reward those who managed to look upon its face and not be overcome with fear. Supposedly the gift would ward away spirits and provided the owner with the ability to stand up to fear. That was what Jack was after, he was not sure what it was that the fae would give him, or even if they would be willing to help Jack but he had to try. This particular fae lived in the Ganges, a place Jack wouldn't visit normally because of its humid climate, but he was desperate. He landed near the river of the same name and noticed there was a fae sitting nearby. A water nymph, the sight of her made Jack cringe, but he approached her nonetheless.

"Excuse me." She turned and smiled a little.

"Well, if it isn't Jack Frost. What brings you here?"

"I'm looking for someone named Makara." The nymph's eyes widened a little but she nodded and pointed to the other side of the river.

"Go that way, when you find what looks like ruins you're in the right place."

"Thank you." She nodded and Jack flew off in the direction the nymph had indicated. It wasn't long before he found the ruins of what looked to be some ancient temple that was nearly entirely swallowed by the jungle, he was also sweating from the heat. Jack didn't hesitate to wander up the broken steps onto the floor, he didn't see anyone and after a few minutes of searching he saw a set of steps going down. He followed them. The floor beneath was a little cooler, but not by much and there wasn't much light. Looking about though he noticed that the room was full of carvings of monsters of every sort, mostly were odd mixes of animals such as peacocks with the head of elephants or crocodiles with the antlers of a stag. Jack found all of this rather odd, he was unsteady now from the heat; his core temperature wasn't going to stay normal for long if he wasn't careful. He drew moisture from the air and froze it in a small circle around him to keep himself at the right temperature, unfortunately there wasn't a lot of moisture and he knew he couldn't do this sort of thing forever as he continued deeper into the lair of the Unseelie fae. The further he went the more carvings he saw, they were mostly the same though, it wasn't until he stumbled that he realized just how warm he was feeling again and tried vainly to cool the air around him, but it was no use and he collapsed.

"Drink this." A quiet voice said when he came to again, it was a reassuring voice and so Jack did as he was told. He then promptly was out once again. When he came to he found that he was laying against a patch of fur from some animal, not far away he saw what looked like a man between his twenties and thirties whose skin was a nice bronze and he wore only a loin cloth and gold bands around his hands and ankles. He also had a dazzling peacock tail trailing behind him, Jack propped himself up, watching as the man plucked a grape from a bowl that was full of them, he turned to Jack and held it out to him.

"Eat." Jack was hesitant, he knew he didn't really need to. The man's green eyes flashed with understanding and he smiled a little.

"It will help you feel better." Jack nodded his thanks and took the grape, finding it refreshingly juicy. The man was right, he did feel better for having eaten it.

"Can... can you tell Markara I'm here?" He asked after a moment.

"I am Makara." The man replied, taking two grapes from the bowl to eat himself before going on.

"I know why you are here, what you want to ask of me. I can see past all illusion and into the hearts of anyone and everyone. There is no secret you can keep from me, I know what you know and even more than what you know. You need not ask, I will make you the scarf. I will work on it while you sleep." Jack blinked, a little surprised that the fae had this sort of power, a little creeped out as well, but he decided it was for the best.

"I can't sleep... I don't think it would go well considering... well, you know." Makara nodded thoughtfully.

"Yes, but you will rest easy this time. You need not fear nightmares of any kind." Jack nodded a little, he was still reluctant to sleep, but found that he was starting to anyway.

"You... took care of my wounds didn't you?" Jack asked sleepily.

"I did." Jack let out a bit of a sigh before slipping under again. When he awoke he found that Makara was sitting several feet away at a stone table, nearby was a pitcher of water with an empty glass. Jack quickly poured himself some before downing the water greedily. He felt a lot more like himself once he'd finished a second glass and the heat around him seemed less oppressive. After a moment he sat up and then made his way to Makara who was carefully working with a paint brush against the dark navy material that Jack could only assume was a scarf. When Jack got a closer look at the scarf he realized it was Sanscrit that the other was using, the symbols were etched in a light silver.

"How long have I been asleep?" He asked after a moment.

"You will not be pleased with the answer. Two days." Jack nearly groaned. He'd been out for two days?! He hadn't meant to be here that long, but then again he hadn't wagered on the heat getting to him so bad either and his wounds were almost healed now so he couldn't complain too much.

"How are you feeling?"

"Better. Thanks." He put one arm around his uninjured side, the closest he was going to get to hugging himself at this point. He still felt the doubt and fears he'd felt when he'd been captive.

"Are you sure that will work? I mean, I don't want to fear he'll find out about the scarf and him find out."

"Even against him, he will not know. Your fear will be safe inside you, he will not be able to read it." Jack nodded, feeling reassured.

"I'm not bothering you am I? I don't want to bug you while you work."

"Not at all. I rarely get company and so it is a treat having you here." Feeling nervous, knowing that the other would know every thought and feeling he had, perhaps even before he did, Jack picked up a grape then looked at some of the carvings around the room.

"This is how others see you, isn't it?" He asked before eating the grape. Makara didn't answer right away, he'd finished with the script and was now looking at Jack thoughtfully.

"You don't see this? These great creatures around you?" Jack shook his head after taking a good look at all the beasts with their permutations and mutations, with bared teeth or snarls. He looked back at Makara, half expecting the other's form to shift, but it didn't.

"I guess I missed that memo." He was silent a moment as he glanced around at the various statues again.

"So, are you saying that you don't get to see your true form?"

"I wouldn't say that."

"Do you ever get bored? I mean, I get the sense that despite your appearance you've been around a long time."

"Not any more, though I did go through that stage at some point. I discarded that scarf long ago. You must realize that we all wear scarfs for varying reasons, not just to hide fear. It is the how and the why these scarfs are removed that impacts how the world changes around you as well as how you change. You are aware that there are consequences I take it." Jack only nodded. Jack felt that Markara got the raw end of the deal in terms of Unseelie, even if he was one he was not any of the monsters that were etched into the wood and stone about him.

"What sort of payment do you require?" Jack asked after a moment.

"A simple thing, create the image of me that you see before you. You may use whatever method you like." Jack raised an eyebrow at that, it couldn't be that simple.

"There are rules, of course. You are not to flatter me when you do so or lie in your rendering. Although I cannot see myself as you see me now, I can fret out the intention of a lie. I will tolerate the intention, but not the act itself."

"Can I use ice?" He knew it wouldn't be permanent in this climate, but felt better for asking as Makara nodded. Jack promptly summoned a block of ice and set to work. He turned the unwanted ice that he sculpted off the block into frigid air about him and the block to keep it from melting too quickly as well as to relieve himself of the heat though he found it more subdued than he remembered. He worked carefully, molding the ice into the image of the man he saw before him. It was easier than he'd thought and though he was tempted to make the lanky figure that was Makara look more toned he didn't see the point in lying and counted himself fortunate that he did not see the man as others had obviously seen him. As he worked, he wondered why many saw him the way they did, was it naivety? Fear?

"What did the last three see who came to you for scarves?" Jack asked as he worked on putting more detail into the sculpture.

"I do not know, I turned away the last three."

"The last three?"

"The last five actually, but you asked for the last three. The last who visited me was a Pond Spirit you know well." Jack's jaw dropped a little. Cahal had come here for a scarf?

"Why? What is he hiding? You know don't you?"

"Yes, but I will not say. I do not reveal what is hidden to others. You could say I am the best secret keeper." Jack stood up when he was finished.

"You can look now. I've finished." Makara turned to the ice sculpture, he was too ancient to show any physical sign of being surprised, but the fact that he stilled suddenly let Jack know that he was indeed shocked to see what Jack saw. Jack looked at it a moment and poured more magic into the sculpture so that it began to move suddenly on its own, mimicking the silent, confident movements of the real Makara who seemed to watch in pure wonder.

"You see me as beautiful..." The words were almost a whisper as he watched the ice sculpture of himself walk towards him and then wander about the place. Makara smiled in pure delight as the figure seemed to walk over to study the scarf he'd finished before shifting about towards the other carvings. He sighed.

"Would fate only let me look like this."

"Well... since you don't know for sure couldn't you just... you know, choose how you see yourself?" Makara shook his head.

"As the majority of those who see me show me these... monsters, I expect that - alas - you are not correct. Now that I have seen this, you have perhaps spoiled me for now I find I am uncommonly vain." Makara's eyes never left the ice version of himself, as if trying to sear every movement, every moment into his memory.

"Well, the majority of those who can see me think I'm just an upstart child, but you have treated me like an adult since I got here. I couldn't very well believe that though if I went with the crowd, could I? So I reckon that since you aren't likely to find out the truth anytime soon you should just stick with what you like." Makara watched the ice sculpture a moment longer before speaking with a nod.

"You can release it now." When Jack did, the sculpture ceased moving and the heat around it began melting the sculpture instantly. In a matter of moments the sculpture was nothing but a puddle on the floor and that too would quickly disappear.

"Now then, I have finished, come here. For the magic to work, I must tie it the first time." Jack grimaced at that. He didn't want anyone else touching him, but as he considered it he realized that Makara had already done so when he'd dressed his wounds. Even so, he couldn't help the shudder that ran through him. Jack looked at the scarf, it was completely covered in the Sanskrit, when not a bit of it smeared he realized that it must dry quickly. Swallowing against the fear that was welling up in him from memories he didn't want, he did as he was told and approached Makara. The fae knelt before him and Jack felt his breath hitch.

"You will need to lift up your sweatshirt for me." Jack trembled a little, but did as he was told and Makara calmly reached around him and tied the scarf gently, mindful of Jack's wound, making sure that it wasn't too tight nor rested anywhere that would cause pain.

"There now." Jack looked at the scarf as Makara's hands fell away before he slid his sweatshirt over the material. It was unbelievably soft, it reminded Jack of the sheets on Pitch's bed in his lair and the thought was instantly soothing; calming his fears and Jack slid the material of the sweatshirt over the scarf, effectively hiding it. He had to admit that it didn't seem like a magical item, it seemed like just any other scarf, but he knew better. Makara stepped back to watch Jack, a slight smile on his features.

"They see you as a child because of your openness. A quality that is exceedingly rare by the time most reach the physical age your appearance speaks of." Jack stared, he'd hoped to find someone who would talk to him like this. Pitch had come close, but the relationship was still so new, they still had so much to learn of each other; Jack had no illusions that his captivity wouldn't make advancing the relationship that much harder for them both. Makara's ability to see into his mind was a marvel really, a relief in a way because Makara didn't reject him for whatever sins he had committed that had resulted in his loneliness. He didn't find the ability at all invasive, like others might. Makara seemed pleased, his eyes sparkling.

"You like me."

"Um..." Jack wasn't sure what to say to that.

"Not many people like me."

"Why not? You dressed my wounds, gave me food and water. A scarf... seriously, what are you doing to others who visit?"

"I do nothing different. I offer food because it is nourishing, but most people cannot see past what they see of me. Then they begin lying, I don't mind that they lie to themselves, but I cannot abide someone who lies to _me._ I cannot tolerate this." Though Makara's tone was nothing but calm, Jack had the feeling that lying to him would be a very bad thing indeed.

"Would you like to be friends? To visit me again?" Jack nodded.

"I'd like that. Hopefully next time it will be a little cooler so I don't pass out on you." Makara smiled at that.

"Before you leave, I feel that you need know some things. First off, even though you have spoken the words, you love this man more than you are willing to tell even yourself. More than you have let yourself love anyone. Secondly, you may soon learn yourself how to move through spaces; listen to the wind, it can teach you in time." Jack nodded, he had all the time in the world.

"Now, I can send you to North's Workshop, is that what you desire?" Jack nodded, steeling himself because he knew he'd have to face the others. The one he feared facing the most though wasn't the other Guardians, but Pitch. He held no illusion that Pitch would be pleased with him. Makara didn't move, didn't touch him or make any sort of sign that he was doing anything to teleport Jack. The jungle temple around him dissolved and he found himself back in North's Workshop. He was standing before the globe, none of the elves that wandered around him seemed to notice he'd just appeared out of thin air. For a moment, Jack felt a spike of fear that Pitch would be able to sense him and his fear and suddenly appear, but when that didn't happen Jack relaxed. He sighed a little and wondered if anyone had actually noticed his absence, he didn't have long to wait to find out when he turned a corner and saw that Bunny was pouring over a book, which was odd for the Pooka. Bunny jerked and turned to him immediately a smile blossomed over the rabbit's face.

"Jack! Where you been mate!? Blimey you had us all worried!" He said as he hopped over to him and ruffled his hair.

"Sorry, I just needed to clear my head and sort a few things out." He said with a bit of a sheepish smile, but it didn't come across as he'd intended and he could see the concern etched into Bunny's face. He felt it like a knife, he didn't want Bunny to look at him like that.

"Next time leave a note or somethin'. You had us all right worried." Jack winced a little at the sad concern on his friend's face. Cahal was right, he was a liability. He felt his heart sink further but he tried to give Bunny a reassuring smile nonetheless.

"Since when do you worry rabbit?" He asked, attempting a joke like he knew he normally would. Bunny sat back a little, he seemed confused for a moment before he smiled a little ruefully at Jack. He knew the Pooka knew something was up, as much as he wanted to make him believe that he was alright, he wasn't.

"Jack!" He turned at the sound of his name and saw that Tooth was hovering nearby, she looked like she wanted to fly over and hug him, but she didn't. He could see the concern written all over her face.

"Hey Tooth. I'd say go ahead and hug me, but I don't think my wound has completely healed yet." Oops. He shouldn't have said that and winced at the worry that flickered on the fairy's face. He'd forgotten that Pitch hadn't let anyone near him so they didn't know.

"Look, it's nothing serious, I'm okay. I'm all bandaged and it should be gone soon enough. Besides, we have more serious things to worry about." He said, trying to shift the topic off himself.

"True enough mate, though be honest haven't heard a peep out of the varmint since you went missin' at the battle." He watched as Bunny fiddled with what looked like a Christmas ornament that was painted to look like an Easter egg. A floating screen popped up showing North.

"Bunny, what news?"

"Kid's safe and sound here North. Donno where he was, but Jack's here. I'll pass the word on to Sandy."

"My thanks Bunny, will see you back at pole." The screen disappeared and a second popped up, Jack watched with fascination as this time the screen showed Sandy, who looked worried and a little tired.

"I just talked to North, Jack's back safe an' sound mate. You look tired, take a rest 'ay?" Sandy responded with a tired smile and the screen vanished again.

"What is that?" Jack asked, pointing to the round device as Bunny stowed it into a small pouch on the sash he wore.

"Communicator. North made 'em so we can keep in touch."

"He had one made for us all, even you Jack." Tooth said. Jack shifted a little uncomfortably all of the sudden when he realized Pitch hadn't appeared.

"Ah... where's Pitch?" Bunny and Tooth shared a surprised look that became a little uneasy.

"Last I knew he was in his room mate... haven't seen him since you disappeared from it." Jack nodded a little, taking a breath.

"I shouldn't put this off." Tooth looked at him a moment then smiled, she laid a hand on his shoulder and Jack was glad that the simple touch didn't invoke any memories, but he felt a shudder go through him nonetheless; if Tooth noticed she didn't say anything.

"You've grown so much... Jack, you know I'm here if you need to talk about... about it." Jack nodded, he didn't want to get into this now or ever, if he were honest but he knew he would have to reach out to someone eventually before the darkness swallowed him completely. Perhaps he'd manage it later, but first.

"Thanks Tooth." She dropped her hand and he headed off towards where he knew Pitch's room was. He felt his heart stutter in his chest the closer he got, fear seizing him by the throat, but he knew the scarf was working simply by the fact that the boogeyman didn't make an appearance. He slowly turned the handle and stepped into the room, his gaze shifting. He said nothing at first as he saw that Pitch was staring out the window, hands clasped behind his back. His eyes were shut though, his head tilted up towards the moon despite the scowl on his face. At that moment, Jack wondered that he seemed so... upset wasn't right the right word.

"Pitch?" The name passed his lips, almost a quiet whisper but at the sound of it the shade's eyes snapped open and he turned to see Jack standing there. Jack wasn't sure what to expect of the boogeyman, the other just stared at him like he was a dream that would be whisked away with the rays of the sun. Jack swallowed a lump in his throat, could Pitch read his fears? Could he sense his deep distress or...? Jack took a couple steps forward, he barely noticed the door shutting quietly close behind him; he felt both fear and joy surging through him, he hadn't realized until this moment just how much he'd missed Pitch... How much the other's warm embrace had been a balm on his inner wounds. Markara was right. Jack wanted nothing more than for the other to take him in his arms and tell him that everything would be alright, but at the same time he feared the other would do so and that he'd find himself sickened by the memories of his time as captive. What was worse, though, was the uneasy feeling he had now that he was staring into the eyes of the man he loved and the other wasn't doing anything. That maybe... He didn't step towards Jack, but he did seem to be taking all of Jack in, as if assessing if he was real and whole. As if coming to a decision, he moved over to Jack, one finger lightly caressing his lips and Jack's eyes fluttered closed for a moment as he soaked in this new sensation. It was delicate, like the touch of a flower's petal, but Jack absorbed it like a sponge absorbed water.

"Jack." The sound of his name on a sigh sent a shiver of pure pleasure through him and Jack felt the urge to throw his arms around Pitch, but he didn't move. His eyes opened again when Pitch made no other move to touch him and the finger that had been lightly caressing his lips dropped back to his side.

"Oh Jack... what has he done to you?" Jack felt like he was about to cry, the sadness he saw in those golden orbs almost undid him, but he managed not to. He'd cried enough during his torture and he didn't want Pitch to pity him even as he felt tears threatening to spill over. Pitch lightly cupped his face with one hand and Jack flinched back, the ghost touch was strong and seeing the look Jack was giving him, the shade took a step back.

"I'm sorry Jack." The words were so soft that Jack thought for a moment he'd imagined them. It wasn't hard to believe he had when his own emotions were so out of control inside, just waiting to burst to the surface again.

"I should have known... I should have..." Jack watched as Pitch clenched his fists, outrage and horror that flitted across the carefully schooled features.

"Pitch." Jack said after a moment, uncertain.

"No... I knew how Cahal was..."  
"You did warn me." Jack said, trying to soothe, but the shade only turned from him to pace. He didn't try and touch Jack again. It seemed that the boogeyman was in a right mood. Before, Jack would have tried to distract him the only way he knew now, but now he shuddered to even think of such a thing thanks to the Pond Spirit. It didn't take away from his want though, that he longed to calm and soothe his lover who stopped after a moment. The fact that he couldn't filled Jack with guilt. Jerking to look back towards the widow, his voice was quiet, but even so Jack thought he heard a tremor in it.

"Maybe it's for the best."

"What?" Pitch turned, his face was blank now.

"I don't belong here. I don't deserve you."

"Wha- Pitch no!" Jack lurched towards him, but the boogeyman easily evaded him.

"Take care Jack. This isn't over." Before Jack could think to say anything Pitch was gone.

"Pitch? Pitch!" He cried, but he was alone in the room. It came crashing down on him all at once, unable to stop it he fell to his knees silently wailing into the night, tears falling to the floor as sobs racked his body and there was no comfort to be had. His world had crumbled right before his eyes. The one thing he had dreaded most had come to pass. Pitch didn't want him anymore. Outside the Workshop a snowy storm howled, as if wailing out the distress that Jack could not. No one ventured outside and even the yetis who guarded the doors had taken shelter behind those doors that they guarded. It was a storm without end, without mercy, dredged up from the darkest parts of Jack's broken heart.

Pitch grimaced at the sound of his name on the boy's lips. It twisted something deep inside of him, he knew he wouldn't be able to stand up to the Guardians, but he also knew that what they'd had... it had been destroyed. He clenched his hands, he would make that Pond Spirit wish he'd never been born! He transported himself from outside the door of his previous room to a room he knew wasn't in use at the workshop currently. It held fabric that was used to make clothes, something that North didn't do too often. He paced in the room, his vision blurring and he angrily wiped at his eyes to clear them; the warm liquid was foreign to him for a moment before he realized what it was. Tears. He felt the overwhelming pressure and so he simply sat down and close his eyes, letting the tears that welled up inside of him pour out. He didn't make a single sound, but he knew he needed this purging if he was going to strike back at Cahal. He decided that if he was going to do this, then he would need to consort with some old "friends" of his among the Unseelie court. He didn't relish this, but he knew he'd no other option at this point and drew the shadows around him to leave the Workshop despite that what he really wanted to instead was to return to Jack and sweep him into his arms, kissing him senseless and showing him that Jack was the one light in his heart, his life and always would be. Since the Shadows had taken him, used him, corrupted him, there had been no one to make life worth living; he had not even been able to reclaim consciousness until he had first seen Jack as a boy, when he'd been alive. A boy who protected his sister, who overcame his fears and who didn't fear the presence of the boogeyman. It had been such a fleeting encounter, a matter of days really, but even after that the Nightmare King had kept an eye on the boy who had floated in his death slumber beneath the ice. He had kept the boy company, though the dead were not really company; when the boy had awaken as the frost spirit he was, Pitch had been there. Watching and waiting for the boy to notice him, to remember, but the Man in the Moon had been cruel and had stolen the boy's memories in the fleeting moments it had taken to transfer power into the young boy. Pitch had seen only glimpses of him, of the boy he'd come to know, during those 300 years. It had been a shock, for sure, to see him with the Guardians and he'd felt a pang in his heart when he'd been rejected at the pole by Jack despite that he'd dropped his guard. From that point on he'd found it hard to hate Jack, even though he'd sided with his enemies; there was just something that Pitch had always felt that there was a connection between them, they had a shared past, in a way. He hadn't meant to hurt Jack, that was the last thing he wanted to do, but he knew that Jack wouldn't understand this side of him. The darker side that thirsted for revenge, that felt a twisted pleasure in torturing the Pond Spirit until he snapped, and then tearing him apart limb by limb until even his fae abilities could no longer keep him alive. The thought of it made Pitch shiver with anticipation that he hadn't felt since before crash landing on this planet. It was something he hadn't been able to do to humans, but fae... they were a different story. He was going to relish this.

When the sun rose the next day, Jack didn't see it, didn't notice it as he twirled his staff among the fae as he sparred with them. He was beginning to feel exhausted, but he didn't stop as they charged him time and time again, the wooden training swords they used rapping against his staff as he held them off. A puff of icy breath escaped his lips as he missed and was smacked against his wounded side, of course now it was only a bruise, but that didn't mean it hurt any less. He ignored the sting of it, for what was the sting of a blow by wood compared the to the empty hollowness in his heart? He let out a grunt when he missed again but he continued the drill, he'd told the fae soldiers to not go easy on him and they weren't. When he dropped to his knees, however, they all backed off immediately and Gwyn moved to help him up.

"Don't." He gritted out, causing the light element fae to stop before him. The fae scowled.

"You can't expect us to keep going when you're like this. We're not your enemies." Jack panted a little through the pain, but once he worked through it he spoke.

"I know, but I need this." Gwyn frowned as Jack pushed himself up again and once more took a fighting stance, he fought the urge to simply drop to the snow covered ground and curl up. He wanted so badly to do so, to die, but he knew he couldn't die and knew he had to push on whether or not he liked it. This was the only thing that seemed to work, for now. He could feel exhaustion start to seep into him, the other fae glanced to their commander who shook his head.

"Get some sleep Frost. We're done here. You're going to be no good if you're asleep on your feet."

"I'm not-" He began to protest until Gwyn walked over to him and gave him a light shove, it wasn't enough to hurt, but it did cause him to stumble badly.

"You can barely stand. Get some rest. No argument." He waved a hand towards his men, the group dispersed to go back to drills, leaving Jack to sag against his staff. He knew Gwyn was right, but he didn't want to sleep because he knew he'd have nightmares. Feeling wrung out, he flew back to the Workshop, knowing that the other fae wouldn't dare go against their general and Gwyn wasn't going to have anything to do with him either. He sighed, feeling just as empty as ever as he alighted on the balcony of the room that had been Pitch's. It felt like Pitch and for him, it felt like home in a way... He let out a long sigh and set down on the bed, he leaned his head up against the wall; too numb for tears anymore and too tired to drag up the energy to talk to anyone. He'd been avoiding the Guardians and they'd given him his space the last few days. He had spent himself the night before, but North didn't complain nor did the yetis for a change. They were silent around him, as if he were a ghost, but he could feel their eyes on him if he ventured out. For the most part he had just stayed in the room that had belonged to Pitch. Despite his broken heart he still wanted to be near him, still missed him and still desired him.

He didn't hear the door slip open or the Pooka who came in.

"You okay mate?" Jack turned his head slightly and suppressed a sigh.

"No. I'm not okay, but neither are you. No one is with this war, but we get along fine because that's what we do, isn't it?" His voice sounded hollow even to his own ears.

"Jack... can we talk?" Jack didn't say anything and Bunnymund moved inside the door. Jack shifted when he got close, a stubborn glint in his eyes as he smacked his staff to the ground. A warning if Bunny ever saw one.

"I'm tired from training." Bunnymund narrowed his eyes at this.

"You? Training? I'm sorry, is there another Jack Frost here?" Jack stared at Bunny a moment in surprise as the Pooka stood tall, ears up, alert as always. Jack shook his head and gave the other Guardian a rueful smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"Look at us, the Guardian of Hope and the Guardian of Fun. Apparently I don't know what's really happening anymore. I'm not handling this well, but I'm handling it. I am not a child, I don't need to be coddled."

"Coulda fooled me mate. Look... I know from Pitch what that Cahal is like..." Jack shot him a look that made the Pooka want to clam up, but he continued on.

"Honest. He wouldn't shut up about it... Tooth and I did our best to calm the bloke down but blimey mate... He wouldn't listen, wouldn't sit still the whole time... North woulda kicked him out if he wasn't wearing a hole in the Workshop over you." Jack's eyes widened for a moment before he looked away. There had to be some reason for that, but not the reason that Bunny might think.

"I don't know why he bothered... he's gone now. He said it was for the best..." Bunny didn't hesitate to move to sit next to Jack's side when he heard the boy's voice falter.

"Maybe he thinks so mate... but I wager he doesn't want to. He knows better than any of us what you went through and I wager the guilt is lain thick on 'im. Ya only been close for a short time mate and he meant to protect ya... even if ya don't rightly need it. Give 'im a chance to sort this out. I wager he'll be back when he's ready. Blimey... never thought I'd look forward to the day I'd see that one again, especially here of all places." Jack turned to meet the Pooka's green eyes, hope flaring from somewhere deep in his heart. Like a butterfly fluttering before its first flight, it was tiny and so weak, but it was there.

"Do... do you really think... ?" Bunny put a hand on his shoulder, he could tell that Jack really needed this; needed his support.

"I'd stake my reputation on it mate." Jack was shocked at his choice of words, but at the same time he sagged in relief, the pain of everything that had seemed to grip him had loosened a little. Enough that Jack didn't feel like he was going to be crushed.

"Thanks, Bunny... for everything." Bunnymund smiled.

"It's what I'm here for mate. I know you're going through some things I ain't never like to understand, but don't forget your mates are here ta help if ya need it." Jack nodded and Bunny stood up.

"I'd better give North a hand, he's working on a little project he wants all of us to help with... erm, well you can stay here though. He has all the help... I mean... crickey, North's gonna have my hide for even mentionin' it." Before Jack could ask more, the Pooka had disappeared out the door in a right hurry as if a Nightmare was hot on his heels.


	11. Darkness

The morning was to be full of surprises as when Jack got up he found that all of the Guardians were gathered in the meeting room, but there was no one else around. A yeti had indicated he was to join them by a few hand gestures. Jack glanced around the room.

"Ooookay... what is this about?" Sandy gave him a sort of sad look that only made Jack a little more uncomfortable.

"We want you to know we are here for you." Tooth spoke up.

"That is not only reason we call you here. We know about you and Pitch, it very clear now." North said.

"Yeah... well, it doesn't really seem to matter much now. I mean, he's gone." The others exchanged a sad look before Bunny spoke up.

"Leave it be mates. This ain't easy for him." Bunny was the only one who wasn't making Jack feel like he'd stumbled into an intervention.

"You're right. Anyway, we actually come here to tell you that Cahal has struck again and to give you this." Before Jack could speak he found that North was offering him a blue Christmas ornament. Curiously, Jack picked it up and examined it, on one side it was decorated with white snowflakes, on the other side he found various symbols that he recognized would correlate with each of his friends and realized with wide eyes what this had to be. A red present with a blue bow was North's, Sandy's was a golden swirl shape that looked sort of like an "s," Bunny's was a multicolored, pink and blue Easter Egg and Tooth's was the shape of a white tooth. Jack looked up at his friends, he tried not to cry, but he felt tears swelling in his eyes nonetheless.

"I... I donno what to say... thank you."

"Is nothing, now, to business." For Jack the next few moments flew by, one of Gwyn's men had spotted Cahal with Pitch. Now they were surrounding the area, it was a park that was oddly deserted of any humans and there didn't seem to be any of Cahal's usual cohorts around which was doubly suspicious. What was Pitch up to? Before he knew it Jack heard the soft coo of a dove, that was the signal and the Guardians launched from their hiding spots towards the two. Cahal moved first, while Pitch stiffened with surprise.

"Well, well. The little birdy has returned. Did you want more?" Cahal said with a grin on his face that made Jack's stomach twist, he was looking straight at Jack. With a snap of his fingers tengu and Ceffyl Dwr appeared with other fae to engage the Guardians in battle. It all happened so fast that Jack barely had time to disarm the tengu that plunged for him.

"I suppose the deal is off." Jack turned to deal with Cahal when he noticed that the Pond Spirit held up a harp; it was gilded in gold and looked ancient, the writing scrawled along its sides were Hebrew. Jack paused, wondering what he was up to.

"Deal or no deal, I will have what I came for!" Speaking in a tongue that was foreign to even Jack's ears, the spirit strummed the instrument lightly, Jack felt fear spike in him as with the notes Pitch let out a pained scream and dropped to his knees. The water spirit just smirked as he continued to play, a golden circle appeared around Pitch, holding him in place and Jack was frozen as he saw the shadows being pulled forcefully from the Nightmare King.

"Pitch!" Jack sent a bolt of lightening at Cahal, the other dodged but it made him stop playing; even so the damage was done as a large group of Fearlings stood now as large black shadows before Cahal. Jack felt a blow come from behind, it was a Ceffyl Dwr, Jack had been distracted and hadn't realized that the beast was nearby. The blow sent him sprawling.

"Yes! Come to me!" Cahal said and opened his arms. The Fearlings surged forward, but instead of heading for Cahal, as he'd intended, they shot towards the frost spirit as he lay on the ground, struggling to get back to his feet as he knew he had to do something. The Ceffyl let out a cry of fright as it backed off from Jack as the shadows cut the two off. The painful cry from Pitch still rang in his ears, Jack had to stop this mad spirit; he had to...

"Jack!" The cry came too late and he suddenly saw the Fearlings as they surrounded him, their voices whispering as Jack's eyes went wide; they blocked his view of anything else, but he didn't miss the choked sob from nearby.

"NO!" He knew that voice. Pitch.

 _Come with uusssss._

 _You can't ssssavvveee theem._

 _Sssstaaaay with ussss._

 _We can give you power._

 _He doesn't want you... but we do... weee will help you..._

 _You will never be loooonely with usssss..._

 _We will be your friendsss..._

 _We will never leave you..._

Jack clutched his staff as his eyes widened, his fears clammering up in his throat, he felt like his body was heavy and as soon he felt his fear threatening to overwhelm him they attacked. The fear that he would fail, that his friends would disappear, that Pitch... A silent cry of pain came from him as the Shadows struck, covering him, delving into his very soul and feeding off the fear he radiated. It hurt. Oh it hurt so much... then suddenly it was over. Jack collapsed where he was. Everyone watched with wide eyes of disbelief.

"No! Jack NO!" Pitch cried as he and the others watched to see what would happen, but Pitch already knew and wished he didn't. His heart was in his eyes and it was shattered. He hadn't wanted this for Jack, never for Jack; he wouldn't wish these creatures on anyone and now ... The Guardians stood, frozen in place as Jack slowly stood up. His normally pale skin had a gray tint to it now, his hair had darkened to an ashy gray as if to become black like Pitch's and when he turned to look at his friends, the eyes that greeted them weren't the icy blue they knew. It was dark violet eyes that stared back.

"No! You were supposed to come to me!" Cahal raged, but Jack turned from his friends to the Pond Spirit.

"You were a fool." Jack said with a grin on his face that made even Cahal take a step back with fear. Before anyone could move, Jack had his staff in hand and shot frost lightning at the other spirit; it wasn't normal though, the frost was gray instead of the pure white blue it had been the first time he had released it a year before. Cahal screamed as the now-darker hue lightning tore at him before encasing him in a solid block of blue gray ice. Jack chuckled as he admired his handy work. The others just stared on with shock, horror and sadness. The Jack they had known, the Guardian of Fun, was gone. In its place... they had yet to find out.

"Jack... " Jack turned at the sound of his name, it was Pitch. He seemed sad, so very sad, but Jack just grinned as he leaned on his staff.

"Here I thought you'd be pleased. You always wanted me to join you."

"No... not like this." He said, his voice soft. He was shaken by what he saw there, what he knew the Shadows had done to his lover. The playful, mischievous frost spirit that he had fallen in love with was now buried beneath the malicious mischief maker that stood before him.

"Heh... well fine. I can go at this alone. The world is my oyster after all. Winter has come." The devilish expression on his face caused Tooth to gasp before the former Guardian was whisked away by the Shadows, leaving behind only the echoing sounds of his laughter. The cruel sound making even the Nightmare King wince from the dark promises it held.

The fae that had helped them dragged Cahal off and they disappeared in a flash of light while North simply broke down where he was at. Pitch knew the feeling, he turned his gaze up to the moon as it began to rise, the sun slowly setting on the horizon.

"Why did you let this happen?! Curse you, why?!" He wanted to rage at the moon, at the imprisoned Cahal, at ... He just... he couldn't take this. He knew he didn't deserve Jack, curse the moon, but why had the Fearlings taken Jack instead of returning to him? He wanted to feel anger, but it was far from his reach, all he felt now was the pieces of his shattered heart; a heart he only recently had discovered he still had. He saw that Tooth was doing her best to console North alongside Sandy. Bunnymund was hobbling over to join them. Pitch noticed there was a nasty gash along one leg that was slowly healing and one of his arms dangled at his side uselessly. Without thinking, he strode over to the Pooka who glanced at him questioningly.

"Brace yourself, rabbit." It was the only warning he gave and Bunny cried out in pain when Pitch shoved his fingers into the wound, the golden light pouring from the two digits he'd dug into the wound before slowly pulling them back out as the surprised Pooka watched, ready to club him with the boomerang in his good paw until he realized that Pitch was actually _helping._ He wasn't sure what to think as the pain disappeared and the wound fully closed like it was nothing. Pitch straightened then gritted his teeth as he dug his fingers into the wound at the Pooka's shoulder and set the arm back into place before healing it. To his credit, Bunnymund didn't even so much as yelp as he'd reset the bone back where it needed to be.

"Thanks mate." Pitch only nodded before going over to North to make sure he was physically sound though the large Guardian was having trouble stopping his tears now but he managed it. Bunny followed him.

"So, what now? We can't leave Jack like that." North nodded, his eyes red but he'd stopped crying.

"We need plan. Need to draw him out."

"I think I know how we can... but you're not going to like it." Pitch said with a grimace, before going on.

"Let's get back to the pole first." North nodded and created a portal with a snow globe, the group going into the pole to rest and regroup. Pitch went to the room he'd been given and sat on the bed, he was a little surprised that he could feel a cold spot on the covers and his heart ached a little as he realized that the last person to sit on the bed had been Jack... Had Jack been here since he'd left? He sighed, closing his eyes, letting himself remember what it was like to hold Jack close; the feel of his cool skin beneath his fingers and the cool wintery taste of his mouth. It was sweet torture. No matter what he'd said, he knew he couldn't go on as before; he needed Jack. A soft groan left him and as he let his head hit the wall. By the moon, what was he supposed to do? How was he going to make this up to Jack? He closed his eyes, he knew he wasn't Pitch Black anymore, but he wasn't Kozmotis Pitchiner either; he hadn't been Kozmotis since the Shadows had taken over him. Was he even really the Nightmare King anymore? He tested this, trying to summon Fearlings to him, but nothing happened; frowning, he tried Nightmare Men next, but again nothing happened. He didn't feel too surprised, thinking on how he'd produced the light to heal the insufferable rabbit... He tried to call a Nightmare and was surprised when one answered his call, she stood before him and when he reached out for her she didn't shy from his touch. He stroked her head and mane then realized that he could think _clearly_ for the first time in a very long time... He looked down at his free hand, off in thought as he idly stroked the Nightmare before turning to her.

"Find the Fearlings... what remains of them. Come back to me when you have news." The Nightmare neighed softly in response before taking off. Pitch knew that they had to do something before Jack did something that he couldn't take back. He had believers, Pitch knew he didn't need believers who feared him; as Jack had told him at Antarctica, he didn't want to be feared. Pitch straightened and went towards the meeting room, he wasn't sure if the Guardians were going to be there yet but he knew that was where they would end up. It was time to put his plan into motion, and as he'd said, they weren't going to like it.


	12. Winter's Wrath

"You want to WHAT?!" North roared. Pitch sighed, the other Guardians were looking at him with a mix of disbelief and outrage, well, except Bunny who was lounging in one chair like they were discussing the weather.

"I said you wouldn't like it. It's the only way to draw him out. The boy was his first believer, there is no doubt he will be after him or rather the Fearlings will want to take him out because of their connection, just like they played with my feelings for my daughter. They will want to destroy the boy, perhaps not kill him but I have no doubt that whatever they plan for the child will not be good." Pitch said, silencing any more protests from the three Guardians. He didn't want to do this, but there wasn't much choice.

"The boy is the one that Jack cares for the most at this moment, he is the most vulnerable."

"What about yourself?" North asked and Pitch's mask seemed to falter for a split second, revealing pain in his eyes before the mask returned.

"I'm not defenseless North. Even without the Shadows I still have my Nightmares and there is... another weapon. The one I taught to the light fae, Gwyn. It seems that the notes of the harp that Cahal was in possession of was a holy item, it ripped the Shadows from me and they latched onto the nearest thing... I fear that Jack's time as Cahal's prisoner left him vulnerable to them. More than normal."

"So how are we going to change that mate? Have you figured that out?" Bunny asked, looking at Pitch who shook his head.

"Unfortunately I do not have an answer on that score. It is possible we can try and rip them from him, but... finding an item of that purity would not be easy and I have no doubt that the fae will not be willing to let us have possession of the harp." North nodded, thoughtful.

"Is it possible to just contain him?" Tooth asked.

"No, he has the Fearlings on his side. They would be able to transport him away unless..."

Sandy had a question mark floating on his head but Pitch shook his head.

"It's not possible, making a room that is filled with just light, where no darkness can exist. That would be the only way. It is not possible to make such a room though that would be able to hold him for long. Even if we made such a room he would just destroy it to escape."

 _Would my dreamsand have any effect on him?_

"You would know that better than I. I don't think it would be enough, even if your sand is composed of a small amount of the same light I produce."

"Could we just maybe destroy them all?" Tooth asked hopefully, Pitch shook his head.

"Not likely, unless Jack lacks the ability to create more. The Shadows need a vessel that can replicate them and I don't think it'd be so easy for us to simply destroy them; even if we could there is no way the Fearlings are going to just let us separate them from Jack."

Meanwhile, Jamie was sitting in front of the TV, idly watching the news while doing his homework. Normally he didn't pay it any attention unless it spoke of a snow day which he was hoping for another one of those because it meant Jack was visiting. Sadly, he didn't think there would be any more snow days as winter was ending now in Burgess, which meant that he wasn't likely to hear anything about -

"Scientists are baffled at the strange phenomenon that seems to be spreading itself across the globe. Places that were tropical paradises, like Australia and the Bahamas are now frozen tundras and people are being forced to stay indoors until authorities can get help down though it is believed that this will not happen for some time as the storms are too intense for planes to touch down in these areas and ice is forestalling any help that would come by boat." Jamie stared at the TV as if it had offended him. What was going on? Jack wouldn't have done something like that, he was sure of it, but at the same time he wondered who was responsible for this sort of thing; if not Jack, then who? He wanted to believe that his wintry friend wouldn't do something so out of sorts. Jack didn't mean any harm, he was the Guardian of Fun after all; Jamie didn't doubt that something was wrong, but he didn't doubt either that Jack had nothing to do with this bizarre weather.

"Jamie! Phone!" His mother called, interrupting his thoughts.

"Okay!" He went to the kitchen and took the phone from his mother.

"Hello?"

"Jamie!"

"Caleb! What's up?"

"Have you seen the news?"

"Yeah, I have. Strange weather, then again there was those attacks at those schools a few days back."

"Do you think that the Guardians can help?"

"I think they're the only ones we can rely on. The grownups aren't going to believe a bunch of fairies are responsible for this." He said, glancing in the direction of his mother who had moved back to the living room to settle on the couch to watch the news.

"What should we do?"

"I donno. I wish we had a sure way to contact them. I... I think for now we should just be on our guard and if we see any of them, let them know what's going on."

"I just can't believe all this is happening. I thought all that stuff was over last year."

"Yeah, so did I." Jamie nearly jumped out of his skin when he noticed a pair of golden eyes staring at him from the shadows of his kitchen.

"Jamie? Jamie are you there?!"

"Y-yeah... I'm... uh... not the only one."

"Are you okay?"

"I... I think so... Caleb... it's Pitch." He said in a near whisper, his eyes widening at the sight of the boogeyman standing before him.

"You and I need to talk." It was all Pitch said.

"What?! Are you sure?! I thought..."

"Yeah... so did I. He says he wants to talk."

"Be careful Jamie."

"I will be. I'll talk to you later Caleb." He hung up the phone quietly, he stared at Pitch defiantly.

"What do _you_ want?" He demanded.

"How about we take this up stairs? Talking to yourself is considered a good reason to be sent to a mental hospital." Jamie blinked in surprise. Since when did Pitch care about something like that? and why did he have a sword strapped on his back? Brimming with questions, Jamie snuck through the living room to the stairs that would lead up to his bedroom; he'd worry about his homework later. This was more serious. Jamie didn't let the boogeyman out of his sight for a moment, suspicion glinting in his brown eyes. He sat down on his bed once they were both in his bedroom.

"What is this about? What is with the weather?" What was... did the boogeyman just flinch?

"As unlikely as this seems, I need your help and so do the Guardians."

"Something bad has happened hasn't it? Is that why there is snow in places it shouldn't be?"

"Yes. I'm afraid the Shadows that once possessed me now have Jack." A gasp escaped the young boy, his eyes going wide.

"You... you did this!?" His stare when from shock to accusing.

"Believe it or not, no. I would never want this for Jack. I know the Shadows very well, how they can drive a person mad with fear. The Shadows were taken from me and instead of returning they turned on Jack during a battle."

"The... adults don't know of this do they?" Pitch shook his head, watching as various emotions played on the youth's face as he processed this, suspicion chief among the emotions.

"How do I know that you are telling the truth?" Pitch sighed, he knew that this wasn't going to be easy.

"If you prefer, I will take you to the Guardians myself." Jamie jumped up then, expecting the shadows themselves to take him or a nightmare to pop out, but instead Pitch withdrew a snow globe from his robes.

"North gave this to me. You can control where you go by simply speaking the destination to the globe before throwing it." Jamie took the snow globe gently, staring into it.

"Is... is that all that it does?"

"No. It can also show you anything that you like. Considering you do not believe me, ask the snow globe to show you the truth." Pitch gestured then stepped back to settle on the window seat. Jamie stared at him for a long moment, disbelief and suspicion in his eyes before he looked at the snow globe.

"Show me Jack Frost." He said and shook it a little, the snow inside the globe swirled before settling and when it did it took Jamie a moment to realize what he was seeing now was a blizzard, and then a figure appeared. He nearly dropped the globe when he took note of the physical changes in Jack, the black hair and violet eyes. His jaw dropped as he soundlessly watched the globe.

-

A cackle came from Jack as he twirled his staff above the Sahara Desert, the humid area suddenly dropping in temperature as the sun was blocked out by clouds and snow began to pelt the land like hail. Many of the creatures that could not shelter themselves in the sand quick enough were soon frozen solid. Jack merely laughed, soaring over the place as cacti of all types withered from the intense cold that they were not meant to withstand as the water inside them froze, several that held too much ended up bursting as if a tiny explosion had gone off inside, many more were just impaled by various ice spikes that stuck out from them. Jack skimmed his staff along the sandy dunes, frost following in his wake; it was opaque frost, not the soft kind that Jamie had seen on his window the year before when Jack had used it to keep Jamie's belief in the Guardians alive. This frost killed without mercy, despite its beauty. Jack watched with growing amusement as Nightmares, with varying patterns of frost on their flanks and sides, galloped with him through the darkness he had created for them. He frosted everything and anyone he came upon without mercy. There was a malicious glee on his face as he came to a town that was bedding down for the night, Nightmares plunged on ahead to corrupt the dreams of others while Jack covered the town in blinding snow and froze water pipes, causing many of them to burst. He simply cackled in pure delight. Well, his body did anyway, he was a puppet, much as Pitch had been. Within his mind Jack was screaming for all his worth, but he had no control anymore and he wept for every animal and human that his body froze. He wept for the humans who would be missing those the Fearlings had frozen in their excitement to see what Jack's limits were and to play around with the powers of winter that were inside Jack. Jack himself knew everything that they did, everything that they made his body do; he knew all of the tricks and cringed every time the Fearlings made his body shoot out the frigid ice lightning at a living creature; not only because it was draining after a while or the result, but because the Fearlings were taking great pleasure in using the same power that had once ripped apart thousands upon thousands of Nightmares when he had faced Pitch after Sandy's demise. At the time, the power had been a surprise to Jack because he never wanted to harm anyone; his snow was gentle and he used ice as a prank or to guide kids in crazy sled rides along streets and sidewalks Sure he'd sometimes been called upon by children to use his cold for a darker purpose, but in the end it always made children happy... Not many did that anymore though, something he'd become really grateful for as adults seemed to be able to pick up a lot of that burden by helping the children pull back from that edge. He'd used his frost to help Jamie believe in the Guardians when his faith had been flagging, and used it to decorate towns in his own version of Christmas decoration. The Fearlings in him had twisted this, had taken what he meant for fun and for decoration and turned it deadly. Cars were crashing all over streets due to ice, people who left the safety of buildings or cars were frozen if the Fearlings saw them. Fear oozed from humans everywhere he went and Jack cried out against it. He didn't want this! He was the Guardian of _Fun_! He wasn't meant to kill like this! He didn't want any part of this! Try as he might, struggle as he did, he couldn't seem to reclaim his body. The more he struggled, the more he despaired and he suddenly realized that he now understood Pitch more than anyone ever could. He fell deeper into despair and before he knew it his conscious mind had been plunged into full darkness as he was lost to the dark laughter of the Fearlings and his own despair. Pitch had fought against the Fearlings, he had been overrun by them centuries ago when they had fed on his fear for his daughter. The Fearlings were feeding off his fear for Pitch and the fear of what had happened to him when he'd been a prisoner. Jack felt his conscious mind grow weaker and weaker, like a flickering light; he couldn't fight forever, no matter how much he wanted to. The fear and despair was too much for him and so he sank fully into the darkness of his own mind, sleeping now as the Fearlings continued their malicious rampage upon helpless citizens. Jack no longer aware of the dark deeds his body did.

Jamie dropped the snow globe onto the bed, his eyes wide with at first shock that was soon overcome with a deep sadness and determination. He looked back at Pitch after a moment, as the snow globe's images faded.

"What do you want me to do?" Pitch should have felt triumph, but he felt nothing even remotely near it. Only glad that the boy was so willing to help.


	13. Unexpected

"Wha- What happened to him?" Jamie asked after a moment. Pitch hadn't answered his first question, but the boy didn't care for the moment. He cared more about Jack. Pitch nearly sighed, hadn't he explained this already? Well, he would try again. He watched the boy look at him, he didn't wonder that Jack had such a stout believer and he had faith that the boy could handle the truth. After all, hadn't the boy conquered his own fears to protect Jack and the other Guardians just a year ago?

"We were fighting an enemy, the one who had caused the water shortage. I assume you heard about that no?" Jamie nodded, he'd heard about it and it had caused problems for sure.

"This enemy was also responsible for all of those missing people..." He trailed off, he wasn't sure he should tell the boy the details of that, after all he really didn't want the boy to lose sleep. Jamie just nodded slowly, as if he understood and didn't feel anything; if he'd felt fear, Pitch would have known it.

"This, enemy, Cahal... he was smarter than I had anticipated. I had arranged a meeting with him, to lull him into a false sense of security... but the Guardians tracked us down faster than I had expected them to." He didn't mention his fight with Jack before hand, the boy didn't need to know how close he was to Jack, how much he had come to care for the frost spirit. He blinked a little, when had he come to think of that discussion with Jack as a fight? He shook it off as he saw Jamie was looking at him with patience most children his age didn't have, and with expectation, as if he expected maybe this would all be a dream. Pitch wished fervently that it could be, that he wasn't about to ask this child to risk his own well-being, again, for the young Guardian.

"He had an ancient artifact with him, a holy object of power; I don't know where he could have gotten it, but he had it. He used it to separate me from my Shadows. Once they were pulled from me they immediately looked for a suitable vessel. I have, recently, had them rebel against me and Jack... he was... hurt by Cahal... it made him more of a suitable target. They surrounded him before I... before any of us could do anything."

"I've fought your Nightmares before, I can do it again." Pitch shook his head, impressed at the gall that the child was showing.

"Fearlings aren't like Nightmares, you can't simply make them vanish like you did with the Nightmares, turning them back into dreamsand. Fearlings aren't made of dreamsand. They are Shadows and are not to be taken lightly."

"What do you mean exactly?" Pitch thought that one through, how did one explain a Fearling to someone who did not know what one was?

"Consider your deepest, darkest fear and then, consider it taking form before you in terms of a shape that is darker than the blackest night. That is what a Fearling is, they feed on such fear and are like Nightmares only in that they can inspire fear. Fearlings are worse, because they can possess a person, can turn any living thing into one of them." He watched the boy's eyes widen with frightful understanding.

"W-what do you expect me to do then?" His voice quaked a little and was quiet. It reminded Pitch so much of Jack that his heart ached.

"This is going to sound bad, I know, but it's the only way to lure him out."

"You want me as... bait?" Pitch nodded and Jamie flopped back on the bed, hard. After a moment though he sat back up as Pitch answered.

"Yes. You are his first believer, if anything, you are the most precious thing in his heart." _Even before me..._ Pitch thought with some sadness, but didn't add the thought.

"The Fearlings will want you for their own devices, to use you to torture Jack into further submission. To keep him from ever doing anything but what they want him to. Long ago, before I came here... I was tricked by the Shadows myself. I was led by them to believe that they had someone I loved and in a moment of weakness I opened their prison to rush to her aid... that was my mistake. That is how I became the Nightmare King."

"If all this is true... why did you come instead one of the other Guardians?"

"Because they do not want to accept my plan. They don't want to use you as bait because it is in their nature to protect you." Jamie nodded slightly, as if he understood but the ex-shade knew that the boy couldn't possibly understand.

"Wait, why would Santa give you a globe then? Can't you move through the shadows on your own?"

"Yes, but I have hid that from them because I needed to get to you without them knowing I still had that. They aren't going to agree to this willingly Jamie, not without your support." Jamie nodded.

"For Jack." He picked up the snow globe and shook it, speaking at it this time.

"North Pole."

Inside the globe North's Workshop took form and the boy hurled it at a nearby wall, the white sparkling and swirling portal appeared and, after a moment's hesitation, the boy stepped through with Pitch behind him. The boy marveled at the sight before him, the room the globe had taken them to was the lounge room that Pitch remembered being interrogated by the Guardians in over his relationship with Jack. Jamie could hardly contain his glee, but Pitch also saw a deep conviction in the boy's gaze as he moved to the door and stepped past several elves who stopped to stare. No mortal had ever stepped foot here before, yetis also stopped what they were doing to stare, but Pitch didn't give the boy time to stop and gawk at the toys they were making as he put a hand on the boy's shoulder and steered him gently to the meeting room where the Guardians were still arguing over various ideas.

"I don't care what Pitch think. No way is -" Everyone froze, just as they had a year ago when North had accidentally woken the boy when they were working against Pitch to save belief in Tooth.

"Pitch!" North roared incredulously. Pitch held up his hands in a gesture of surrender.

"The boy came of his own violation. He wanted to validate my words to him." Pitch said smoothly, forestalling anything any of the others might have seen. Bunny grinned at the boy.

"Good ta see ya mate." Jamie waved at Bunnymund before turning to the others.

"Pitch is right. I mean, he gave me the snow globe but I came here because I wanted to... is.. what he said true? I mean, I saw Jack in the globe but..." He trailed off, his eyes wide with hope that this wasn't really. North scowled at Pitch before turning his gaze sadly to the boy.

"I'm sorry. Is true. Pitch had no right to bring you to this."

"I want to help." The boy said stubbornly, though he was a little intimidated by the larger Guardian, he wasn't about to be treated like a baby either.

"I came here because Jack needs help. I want to do what I can. He's my friend and friends help each other." North glance at the others. Tooth seemed indecisive, Bunny didn't seem to care one way or the other though the Guardian of Wonder knew better. Sandy was giving Jamie a thumbs up, apparently he was on board with the kid.

"Did Pitch explain?"

"That I was to be bait? Yes." The larger Guardian ran a hand over his face, he seemed so tired all of the sudden.

"You sure you want this? Is very dangerous."

"It's for Jack. He didn't give up on me, he helped me to believe in you all even when I didn't believe in him; even when I didn't see him, he kept coming back to me, to make me believe in him as well as in all of you." He saw the reluctance in the eyes of the other Guardians, but he was stubborn, just as he had been when he'd faced up against Pitch.

"I will shadow the boy, literally. I will keep him safe." Pitch promised.

"Where'd you get that sword?" Tooth asked after a moment of silence.

"I've always had it. It's a relic from my past. Up until now I hadn't been able to touch it because it repels Shadows."

"Handy that." Bunny said and Pitch nodded in agreement.

"I guess we're really doing this." Tooth said after a long moment of silence.

"I guess we are." North replied.

Jack skimmed lazily over the pond that he'd been reborn in. He frosted it over just for the joy of watching the frost spread out over the ice. Most of the world was covered in snow and ice now, but as he was bored now he wondered what there was left to do. Movement at the edge of his vision caught his attention. Jack paused and saw a young boy approaching him, he hovered over the ice, as if the other were a curiosity. The boy was obviously brave, he was bundled against the snow and ice. _No... run! Jamie run!_ He screamed in his mind, wishing that he could make his mouth move, but not even a small sound of protest rose in his throat and he raged against the helplessness as he saw his first believer, his human friend, stopping at the edge of the pond. Jack slowly floated towards the boy then stopped. Something didn't seem right, this boy was too confident, too... cocky and he was obviously scared. Jack twirled his staff, the boy watching his every move. A smirk formed on his face as the Fearlings recognized the boy now, the boy Jack was fighting them currently to protect.

"Pretty brave." Jack heard himself say. Jamie shrugged in response.

"There's no way you're here on your own... Come on out Kozmotis! We know you're here!" Pitch moved from the shadow of a nearby tree.

"So I am. What of it?" A sneer made its way across the frost spirit's face. Inside a small light flickered in the depths of darkness. _Pitch?_ Jack seemed out of it, not so sure what was going on even as he heard himself speak.

"Do you really think you could trick us? That we'd be duped into thinking that the boy would be here on his own when he's so 'precious'? Have you forgotten we know how you think?" Was that really him? Was Pitch really here?

"Not at all."

"Jack... please... fight it." Jamie's pleas seemed so pitiful in the face of Pitch's own response.

"Give it up kid. Unlike Kozmotis there, he can't produce the golden light. He can't just shake us off."

"Jack... _please_..."

 _Jamie!_ Jack's heart went out to the boy he remembered, his conscious mind flickering to life from beneath the darkness and he took stock of what was around him. He looked so sad, so helpless... like he was on the verge of tears and Jack swore he was on the verge of tears himself. _Jamie... By the moon... Please run Jamie... please..._ Jack heard himself chuckle.

"You really are something special, you know that Jamie?" Jack felt anger well up inside of him at the Fearlings, they wanted to hurt Jamie, and that made him mad. Angrier than he remembered even being when Sandy had been swallowed up by Nightmares. Jack grabbed his head, nearly dropping the staff. He fell to the ground, swaying unsteadily.

"What is... this..." He ground out, as he managed to finish, Pitch was on the move and had appeared at his side. His hand was glowing as he touched Jack who jerked back even as some of the Shadows holding him sizzled and fell away. He cried out in pure agony, Pitch lunged after him, trying to get a hold on him, but the Fearlings had recovered from the shock of a dual attack and Jack's body was airborne, out of his reach. He hissed at Pitch, glaring daggers at him.

"This isn't over Kozmotis." He shot off into the air and disappeared into the cloud covered sky. Pitch sighed. He'd almost had him! It was going to take real work, he realized, to actually capture Jack. What he also realized though was that the Shadows had fallen away and sizzled at his touch... he'd made the golden light without even thinking about it and now it was fading from his hand. He knew how they would get Jack back, how he could release Jack from the grip of the Shadows, but capturing Jack was going to take a lot more effort than he'd thought.

"Did I hear that right? Is your name Kozmotis?" Pitch gritted his teeth, he'd forgot the kid was still there.

"Once. Before the Shadows."

"Why wouldn't it be now?" It was an innocent enough question but he wasn't sure the boy would understand the answer.

"I'm not that man anymore."

"You're not the Nightmare King though either, at least, not now." Pitch's eyes widened in surprise. Was the boy _that_ perceptive? Had he guessed? The grin on the boy's face told him it was the lather.

"Why can't you be that man now?"

"Anyone ever tell you that you ask too many questions?" Pitch asked instead of answering because he didn't want to get into such a discussion as this with a boy who obviously wouldn't understand.

"All the time at school." Something was fluttering down in the sky, weighed down by something, it caught Jamie's attention, not because of what it was so much as because it stood out against all the white snow.

"Hey, what's that?" Pitch followed the kid's gaze to the fabric that settled down onto the ice. He didn't hesitate to walk to it and pick it up, he stiffened as soon as he held it. Pitch wasn't sure what the strange ornament inside the cloth was, but as for the cloth itself he knew what it was immediately. His eyes narrowed, all this time he hadn't been able to sense Jack's fears because of this! He'd thought that maybe it was because he'd lost the ability to read the emotions of spirits, more specifically that Jack had some how learned to block him. He wanted to rip the thing up, but instead he folded it. Jack would have to answer some questions when he was back. Pitch clenched the cloth in sheer anger. How could Jack do this to him?! Why?

"Well? It's kind of pretty." Jamie said, drawing Pitch's attention back to the boy; he made an effort to calm himself before he spoke.

"It's a scarf, a magical one. I think it may come in handy." For a moment he considered keeping it, but instead he wondered if it would work in the boy's favor. He walked back to Jamie and shoved the cloth at him; pocketing the ornament device with his other hand.

"Wear this at all times, it will keep you safe from the Fearlings." Jamie blinked, but didn't question him this time; something he was grateful for as the boy tied it about one arm for now. He hoped that it would shield the boy from danger, for now.

"You'd best get home. He won't be back here any time soon. Don't dawdle." Jamie nodded and hurried home. Pitch stood there for a moment before deciding he should get back to the pole where the Guardians were. They needed a new plan.


	14. New Plan

Pitch rubbed his eyes, he and the other Guardians had been at this for hours. Trying to figure out how they were going to corner Jack long enough for Pitch to get close and use the golden light on him. It wasn't just today either, they had been discussing this particular topic for several days and in that short span of time the entire globe had become one big snowball. Humans never left their houses alone, if at all in fear of Jack's power. Jamie kept the belief up in Burgess, he and the others had spread word of what was really going on. The only reason the news of it wasn't worldwide was because power was out all over, only electronics with backup batteries or those that had external batteries nearby were still functioning. Most people had gathered in homes that had fireplaces to keep warm as often the temperature dropped during the day to make even most houses too chilly to stay in even with movement. Jack had all but frozen the entire planet and everyone was suffering for it, a lot of plants and animals mostly. Unless they did something soon, all of humanity would suffocate or freeze.

"I think seeing Jamie made Jack fight the Fearlings harder, which was why they almost lost control." He said for the umpth time in past few days.

"Is no place for child!" North argued.

"I agree with North on this." Tooth said and Pitch nearly sighed, again. Hadn't the plan gone fairly well last time? Sure it hadn't been a complete success but the kid had made it home and was safe and sound just as Pitch had promised the others that he would be. He wondered if he could do this on his own... then he pushed the thought away. He had needed the kid's help just to draw Jack's attention. He'd little doubt that he would need it again, he wondered suddenly if the other kids would be willing... No, best not involve them if he could help it. He was getting enough flack from the Guardians as it was just for involving Jamie. There was no doubt about it now, that kid would be a true believer right up until his last breath. That thought made him sigh inwardly, Jack would kill him if anything happened to the kid. No doubt that Jack was as mad at him as the other Guardians seemed to be, well save Bunnymund who seemed more subdued for whatever reason. He considered that the Guardian of Hope likely was taking this a lot harder than it appeared, as despite his clashes with Jack the Pooka did care a great deal. He just really wasn't one to show it in normal ways, and Pitch doubted the other Guardians had taken notice. Bunnymund had been the least vocal of the Guardians in terms of ideas, perhaps not because he didn't have any of his own so much in that he didn't have any he thought would work.

"Like it or not, the kid is our best shot. Yes he will suspect, but given enough time it's possible that he won't and eventually he'll get close enough for use to spring a trap."

"Even so, what sort of trap do you think would hold him?" North asked.

"At this point... I'd say only my Nightmares. It goes without saying that he'd simply slip away from anything else."

 _Even my dreamsand?_ Sandy asked.

"Well, no, I imagine though the Fearlings would take advantage of that and try to corrupt you. It's too risky for you to try." Sandy gave him a look that clearly spoke of the little Guardian's doubts on that score, but the others were quick to agree. The loss of Sandman from the year before was still fresh in their minds.

"I have an idea that might work better." Tooth said hesitantly, drawing attention to her.

"Jack and Baby Tooth grew close during the last year. Maybe we could use her instead of the kid..." She trailed off.

"That might work." Pitch said, but didn't sound certain. It was true that Jack had grown close to the one tiny fairy among Tooth's many that he'd rescued from being captured by Pitch in the initial attack on the Tooth Palace. Pitch struggled a moment before standing.

"I need some air." He left the room ignoring the looks of mixed pity and sorrow from the Guardians. He went back to his room and sat down on the bed. Pitch leaned his head against the wall, the sword in his hands dropped to the floor and he closed his eyes.

 _Jack... My sweet Jack... What have they done to you? I just... I just want you here... I want to take you to my home... the home I once had used... I just need to hold you... even if it's just one last time..._ He could picture it all in his mind, him standing on the wooden balcony in his home in Galich, Kostroma waiting for Jack to return from spreading snow across the globe. Pitch had to admit, if only to himself, that he desperately wanted that to be real. A soft sound of sheer longing escaped him, a longing for just the presence of the frost spirit. To be near Jack, to just be in the same room...

To hear him laugh so innocently at a prank he'd pulled on the unsuspecting or just to have the companionable silence that they had developed. His need for Jack to be around had risen quickly and so quickly had Jack been snatched from him, not once but twice. First by the now-frozen Pond Spirit who'd had the gall to even so much as look at Jack twice, and now by the Shadows that had once possessed him. Guilt washed over him, but it didn't overwhelm the longing he felt. He just wanted to see Jack again, the real him, not the monster the Fearlings had turned him into. He ached to touch that pale skinned cheek once more, to run his fingers through his snowy hair that always seemed to be wind tousled. He cursed himself for not being quick enough to keep Jack out of Cahal's hands and again for not being able to protect Jack against the Fearlings. He nearly gasped out from the weight of the guilt that slammed into him.

"You shouldn't do that to yourself." Pitch's head snapped up, his eyes scanning the room only to settle on the door where he was surprised to see Jamie standing. He'd thought the boy was at his home. Jamie stepped further into the room, the concern on the boy's face puzzled him. What was he doing here? The others hadn't been pleased when he'd brought the boy here the first time, so... why?

"What are you talking about?" He managed after a moment.

"You care. An awful lot, but it weighs on you. I've see my mom do this with one of her friends... Don't say you don't. I don't understand how this has happened, but... I do understand what it's like to care for a friend." Pitch let out a little laugh, the sound bitter and grating even to his own ears. Oh the innocence of childhood.

"Maybe I'm too young to fully understand how much you care, like North said, but I can still tell that you do. An awful lot." Pitch straightened to look at the boy, so North was the one who had fetched him? He had to wonder why.

"Just how much of this have they told you?"

"Well... They told me about the battle at the school. How you felt responsible that he disappeared for a little while... that how when he returned he wasn't really the same... and how when he was gone you couldn't do anything but pace as you waited for some sign of him from the Nightmares. How when he'd come back you tried to keep your distance because you knew he was hurting, that you blamed yourself for something that wasn't your fault." Pitch ground his teeth. What were those Guardians thinking? Sending a boy to tell him all this sort of drivel? Of course it was his fault! He'd been the one who'd been supposed to protect Jack! He'd failed.

"That you blame yourself now for what has happened to Jack, even though you had nothing to do with it. You couldn't control those monsters no matter how bad you wanted to. You said it yourself how they fed off the darkest of fears... To me, that just means that Jack feared something more than you did." Pitch blinked at that, what could Jack fear more than... Oh. _Oh._ How could he have missed that? From the mouth of babes, wasn't that how the saying went? Suddenly he understood how he was going to draw out Jack, how he was going to do this and wasn't sure if the Guardians would agree to this new plan either. It was probably the only thing that would work now that wouldn't involve an innocent.

"You know, you're a lot more useful than I thought kid. I think I know how we can get Jack back. Thank you." Jamie smiled a little.

"You're welcome, Pitch." Pitch stood up and then the boy did something that shocked him to the core. Jamie had closed the distance and hugged him. He stared down at the boy. In all his time, _no child_ had ever hugged the boogeyman like this; children had always been afraid but this boy... He realized suddenly that this boy, who had been Jack's first believer, was now his as well. The boy believed that he could do this and he felt something. Something stirred in him at that thought, made his breath hitch; he knelt down and put an arm around the boy. This boy who was so brave and at the same time, so wise beyond his years. He now understood too well why Jack had protected this boy so fiercely last year.

"I promise you, I _will_ bring Jack back."

"I believe you." Jamie said quietly before stepping back and then disappearing into the noise that was the Workshop. When Pitch followed him out the door he saw that Bunnymund was lounging several paces away, he didn't seem at all sorry that he'd been close enough to hear. He saw Pitch and gave him a knowing smirk. Pitch only nodded and, surprised the Pooka by letting a small smile appear on his face.

"Meet me in the meeting room. I have a new plan."

 _Pitch._ Had it been spoke aloud the single word would have been shaky. Jack couldn't breathe, or rather had he any control he was certain he wouldn't be able to. Pitch was standing in the middle of his pond. He had his eyes closed, the sword he'd seen Pitch carrying before was no where in sight and he circled the man, wary. He noticed that golden embroidery ran along the edges of the robe he wore. Jack nearly swallowed, not that his body would obey, but how had he missed this before? Sure Pitch was changing, had been changing since Jack had first spoke with him, but how had he missed this little sign that spoke volumes of the man he loved? His skin had also changed, it was a bronze instead of gray and although Pitch's hair was still black, it seemed less... dark some how. Wary of him, he alighted on the ground, staff pointed at him, knowing that he wasn't completely helpless. Pitch slowly opened his eyes, it was still such a shock seeing violet instead of blue; how he sorely missed those icy blue orbs that were so refreshingly open, that could hold so much emotion and be so warm despite it all.

"Miss your lover do you?" He leaned against the staff, enjoying seeing the former Nightmare King jerk as if slapped.

"I've taken a new name as well, but I assume you know of it."

"Jakol." The frost spirit nodded.

"Suits me better don't you think? After all, I'm not what I was. Though we could still be beautiful together... I wonder... would you like to be the one being penetrated this time? After all, you've been the dominate one for so long-"

"Stop it." Jakol grinned.

"What's the matter lover?" Jakol said the word like a caress, Jack winced. He didn't want to do this, he didn't want to hurt Pitch. He watched, aching to go to him, to take back the words, but Pitch didn't stiffen this time, he merely sighed and settled down on the ice. This was new, the Fearlings were skeptical.

"Why not get it over with?" Pitch said softly.

"Get what over with?" Jakol seemed surprised, and for a moment, confused.

"I know you want to possess me again." Jack felt himself jerk, not just him, but his body seemed to respond as well; surprise and horror flitted through him while the Fearlings just seemed surprised.

"What's the matter?" Pitch asked when he realized nothing was going to happen.

"You really think that we want to take over you again?" Pitch shrugged.

"Why not? I don't see you making more of yourselves and there are so few of you left since that battle." Jakol frowned.

"It's not so easy, is it?" Pitch was obviously taunting them now. Jack understood this, Pitch could create more Shadows, but apparently whatever ability Pitch had to be able to do so Jack lacked despite how powerful he was. Whatever allowed Shadows to duplicate, it wasn't something just any powerful being could do.

"Very well." Jakol took a step forward.

 _NO!_ His body stumbled, as if he'd taken a massive blow all of the sudden. Pitch just sat there calmly, resignation in his eyes sent a flare of desperation through Jack. He had to do something! He couldn't let Pitch do this... He couldn't! He... _Pitch, no!_

Jakol fell to his knees, clutching his head, howling in sheer pain as Pitch merely looked on.

 _Stop fighting usssss._

 _NO! I won't let you take him again! He's_ mine! _You hear me?! Leave him alone! You can't have him!_ Jack didn't care if he sounded possessive, he wasn't simply going to sit back as the Fearlings took over the man he loved, transforming him back into the monster that he remembered from a year ago. A soft hand on his shoulder made Jakol flinch and Jack saw the golden light out of the corner of his eye, the Shadows were trying to jerk away, but Jack fought back and pressed into the touch. It was comforting, warm... The Shadows shrieked in his mind and their pain became his, but he didn't balk, knowing that this might be the only chance... Jack sagged on the ice, his hair becoming snowy white again as the Shadows were destroyed, the golden light enveloping him in a warm embrace like a mother. A smile ghosted across his lips.

"Jack?" He knew that voice. It was so soft, so caring... He opened his eyes and saw instant relief in Pitch's golden ones, Jack's eyes were blue again; the waking nightmare was over.

"Pitch..." He murmured before his eyes closed, he was so tired... so very tired.

"It's okay. I've got you snowflake." He murmured softly as he enfolded Jack in his arms.

"You realize you've utterly destroyed my reputation as the Nightmare King, don't you?" He asked softly, humor in his tone. Jack just smiled, it was so good to hear his voice again. To be held close, that not even the ghost of touches from Cahal could take this joy away. Pitch had come for him. He'd rescued him from the waking nightmare he'd become. That was the last thought he had as he slipped into unconsciousness.

Jack had thought, had even feared that the first person he'd wake up to would be Pitch because he knew that a wrong touch... even one that was too close to being what he'd gone through with Cahal would send the fear careening through him and then... then Pitch would know. Jack had lost the scarf he'd gone after and without it... Without it he couldn't hide his fear from Pitch anymore. He was surprised to find, then, that the hand that was holding his didn't belong to Pitch. Even more so when he realized who it _did_ belong to.

"Jamie." The boy looked up from his thoughts and smiled widely, he hugged Jack instantly and Jack enfolded the boy into the hug.

"I'm so glad... he kept his promise..." Jamie said quietly, there were tears in his voice, but also happiness.

"What? Promise?" Jack asked when Jamie pulled away to wipe his tears away on his sleeve.

"Pitch... he promised me he'd get you back." Jack glanced around, suddenly afraid that Pitch was nearby.

"Jack... why are you scared of him?" Jack's eyes widened a little when he realized the boy had picked up on his fear that Pitch was near and would... He calmed himself.

"It's ... complicated."

"He cares about you, Jack. How is that complicated? He wants to help... but I don't know why he's not here. He's been avoiding you since he brought you back... at least that I've seen."

"Did he bring you here?" Jack asked, thinking of when he'd seen Jamie with Pitch. Jamie nodded.

"He's pretty cool actually, now that he's not possessed by shadows." A smile tugged at the edge of his lips.

"I can see why you are friends with him." Friends. Right, of course Pitch and the others wouldn't tell the boy the depth of what was between him and Pitch. Jamie wasn't old enough for that. Not yet, he wondered if he would ever tell Jamie; he shook the thoughts off.

"I can guess why. I think he's mad at me."

"Why? Because of the scarf?" Jamie seemed puzzled at this when Jack nodded.

"I hid my fears from him. I don't think he is happy about that." _Especially not when I'd been so open to him before..._ Jack nearly winced at his own thoughts.

"So what do you think of the Workshop?" Jamie's eyes lit up at the change of topic.

"It's great! Although I never would have thought that the yetis made the toys. It's just sooo coool!" Jack smiled a little. The boy's excitement was contagious. That is until he realized Pitch was standing at the door.

"Jamie, will you leave us please? Jack and I need to talk." Jack's heart plummeted. He knew what this was going to be about.

"Okay!" Jamie scampered off before Jack could think to call to the boy and he sighed, sitting up but not looking at Pitch. This was going to be difficult enough. Pitch closed the door, Jack flinched because he did _not_ want to talk about this. About what he thought they would need to.

"Jack." His tone was soft, there didn't seem to be any anger there. At least not yet, and wasn't that the key word?

"I... I'm sorry... for... everything." He finished lamely when he realized he couldn't figure out exactly what to apologize for. Pitch sat at the end of the bed, but he didn't touch Jack. Made no move to make any sort of comforting gesture, which Jack was both grateful for and at the same time yearning for. Would he always feel this way? Torn between fear and longing? He sat there in silence.

"Why?" The note of betrayal he heard in the single word made Jack curl up, hooking his arms around his legs; he buried his head in his arms, trembling as he tried to force away the memories of what Cahal had done to him. It didn't work and he had to choke back a sob. Fear and anger churned in him like a storm waiting to burst out.

"I... I didn't want you to know... I didn't want to be _used_ by him... to... become the tool to... hurt you." Jack said meekly, his voice sounding weak even to him. It was true though, Cahal had meant to make him a terrible reminder of what he was capable of. Now though the Pond Spirit was gone, locked away where he couldn't hurt either of them; knowing this brought no comfort though. He felt himself begin to shake with silent sobs. He hadn't wanted this, he hadn't wanted any of it; the tears streamed silently down his cheeks and fell on his arms, becoming frozen water droplets against his legs. He yearned for how things had been, even if that meant going all the way back to just the uneasy truce that he and Pitch had once had before, when Jack had tumbled into the lair unexpectedly. Things were _never_ supposed to be like this, they were supposed to be able to be near each other, to enjoy each other's company and be able to exchange even the most chaste gestures of love. Not him jumping at every gentle touch because it reminded him of what Cahal had stolen from him, from what he'd almost nearly had endured at the hands of the water fae all because he'd been so reckless and had flown straight at the enemy instead of heeding Pitch's warning. Well, he knew better now didn't he? The thought left a bitter taste in his mouth even as his tears stopped and the sobs subsided.

"Why?" Pitch asked after a moment. Jack lifted his head to stare at Pitch, he'd shifted to take a seat in a nearby chair and was now leaning towards Jack, but still not touching him.

"Why did you lie to me?" Jack found he had no answer for the accusation. He'd lied to so many over the past few days that it seemed almost second nature now. He wasn't used to lying like this, it came so natural now, but he didn't want to; he didn't want to do this anymore. He felt like a hand was squeezing his heart.

"You weren't there..." Jack said shakily.

"You just... I wanted someone... anyone to... but no one was there... I was..." He found that no matter how much Pitch did know now, he couldn't just spit the words out about what had happened. It still grated on him too much to. Anger rose in him, it wasn't justifiable, but it was there and he couldn't help it.

"Those shadows took ME Pitch. They didn't want you." The look of agony on Pitch's face twisted his gut, but his anger was too hot to simply be snuffed out now that it had been awakened in him.

"They couldn't have care less! They used me! Everything I knew was nearly striped from me and you brought Jamie into this! An innocent boy!"

"I had no choice. I-" Jack cut him off harshly.

"That's a lie! There were hundreds of things you could have done to get their attention! I know it because I know you _knew_ them! You knew! You put that kid in danger for your own ends! Did you expect me to just be okay with that?! Okay that you would willingly endanger one of my friends?" Pitch's expression became blank as Jack ranted, he sat back, staring as if nothing affected him.

"I don't know why I bother. You obviously don't care." This made Pitch flinch he opened his mouth.

"NO!" Jack forestalled him, rising from the bed in a single fluid motion.

"You don't get to say _that_ and expect me to believe it! After all this, everything is only to your own ends! Did you think that once I was free of them that everything would go back to the way it was? That I would be the same? Well I'm not, Pitch. I am _not_ that Jack anymore and I never will be again!" Pitch's expression was twisted with pain now. He stood slowly, even as he spoke quietly.

"I'm so, so sorry Jack... I..." He couldn't go on. How could he express to Jack how much he had needed Jack? How he'd done all of this for him when the frost spirit was in such a mood that he wouldn't listen? A feeling of helplessness surged through Pitch and he breathed in sharply. He had never expected the pain to be this bad. He wanted so badly to comfort Jack, to make amends, but he couldn't touch him now. He knew Jack wouldn't allow it even if he could gather the courage to try. If that wasn't enough, he was having trouble muddling through the colors of Jack's anger and fear which seemed to mesh together and both were so dark that he felt like he was staring at a black hole.

Pitch dropped his head. For the first time in a long while, he seemed so vulnerable to Jack. It was enough to shock the fear from him, made him want to reach out and envelope Pitch. As if he were unable to simply maintain what Jack thought of as his mask to the world. His shoulders sagged, he didn't look at Jack; staring at the floor.

"It should have been me." His voice was hoarse, as if he'd been the one racked with sobs earlier. Jack was startled, to say the least, at the sudden change.

"I should have done something... It should have been me that the shadows took. Not you... never you..." His voice cracked, the last two words barely more than a whisper. Jack looked uncertain, his anger fading at the sound. Like someone had turned a switch off inside of him.

"I... I should have protected you. I'm sorry Jack... I'm sorry I couldn't be there when you needed me. When... you deserved it... when you deserved a protector..." Pitch could scarcely get the words out and Jack, had Pitch bothered to look at him, looked like he'd been slapped. His eyes wide as he began to fully understand just how much this had hurt Pitch. He'd been so caught up in his own anger and hurt, he hadn't noticed how it had affected Pitch, how the man had reacted to him being gone... and then being possessed. He remembered the look of resignation on the man's features when he'd sat in the middle of the pond, ready to sacrifice everything he was ... and why... why would he do that? What was it that had made him look so hopeless when he'd looked at him then?

"A-at the pond... why? Why did you..." Jack trailed off and Pitch looked up at him, it struck him then that the other seemed so terribly alone and torn between trying not to hold him and yearning. Just as Jack was.

"I did what I had to... what I wanted to. That kid of yours... he made me realize something."

Jack wasn't sure he wanted to hear this, but he stayed silent.

"He made me realize that I couldn't be without you. Even if it meant I was turned back into the Nightmare King, I _needed_ you with me... I don't care how this sounds... it's the truth." The truth hit Jack like ice water. Pitch didn't just say he loved him as a means to an end, as the doubts in his heart, and later Fearlings, had whispered to him. The man had said it because it was true. The hand around his heart squeezed all the more and Jack felt all the breath in his body desert him. Things were never going to be the same for them, he knew this, but at the same time he yearned for the closeness. Jack touched back down to the ground and it was only when he did so that he realized he'd been floating, as if ready to flee, the blanket half on the bed half not. He couldn't run from this though, and he found he really didn't want to. As much as it hurt, there was something else that was much more powerful and it was keeping him here now. Pitch slowly closed the distance between them and Jack let him. He yearned for this, for things to be right between them again. Pitch lightly settled a hand on Jack's shoulder before gently cupping Jack's cheek with his hand and for a moment it was so nice, so warm and - The ghost feeling of Cahal's hands on his cheeks, gently stroking sent Jack stumbling back and he sat down on the floor, hard, curling into himself.

"I will _murder_ him!" Pitch growled in a near shout. Jack realized that he needed to stop Pitch and, despite that it took all of what he was to do so, he reached out a hand.

"Pitch wait!"


	15. Unraveled

Without thinking of the consequences, Jack lurched forward as Pitch was drawing the shadows around him. Jack tackled him to the ground, clutching at him like a child.

"No... don't..." He knew that the Seelie Court wouldn't be pleased if Pitch just showed up there and tried to murder their prisoner. Fear clutched at him as he clutched at Pitch's robes, fear for Pitch. Pitch landed hard, but he didn't notice it as he was staring at Jack with wide eyes.

"You can't... you just... He _wanted_ this! To hurt you!"

"Hurt _me_?" Jack looked up at him, desperation in his eyes. Disbelief was etched into every line on Pitch's face. He couldn't lose Pitch, not now.

"He... he was planning on giving me to you as a gift... to hurt you... to..." He wasn't sure he could go on.

"Whatever you want to do... that was his goal... his aim... it's what he _wants_ you to do..." Pitch grasped for a breath, his chest shaking with the unevenness of his breathing. He had tried to reach out to Jack, to show his affection and Jack had wanted it, he'd seen the yearning in the boy's eyes and then -

"I can't just let this go." Pitch said finally.

"What he did to you... I..." He was uncertain how to put it to words, to tell him how much he wanted to rip the skin off the Pond Spirit just for the sheer joy of hearing the other's pained cries for even just _thinking_ of laying his hands on Jack in any manner.

"It was stupid." Jack said, his tone flat, surprising Pitch.

"It was almost nothing at all. I wasn't his captive that long." Pitch paled.

"Almost nothing." He breathed out.

"Then tell me, if this was _nothing_ it should be easy to talk about right?" Jack's mind blanked with terror, dread at even consider recalling the event. He hadn't been able to talk about it, to talk to anyone because it was _his_ _fault_ it had happened in the first place, if he'd just - The dismay on Pitch's face cut into his thoughts.

"What?" Pitch just shook his head, speechless. A rare thing to see. Jack sighed.

"I'm not broken... he didn't break me as he intended to do. He didn't have the time." Pitch seemed disturbed nonetheless. Jack was uneasy at the amount of distress that Pitch was showing and wondered if the lack of the scarf was somehow making his fears bigger than they actually were.

"Do you feel that way? Unhaunted by it? Unbroken?" Jack glanced away, unable to meet Pitch's gaze. No, he knew better. It haunted him, chased him in waking with every touch and followed him into the darkness of dreams. Jack hadn't sought the escape of dreams because of it. Pitch shook his head at Jack in despair, as if Jack had offered him a lie; he could see a spark of anger in the man's eyes too though he couldn't look directly at him as he pulled back to settle on his heels in a crouch, allowing Pitch to sit up.

"You blame yourself for this and then sit there and say it was nothing... telling me that he didn't break you. What are those flashbacks like?" Jack swallowed hard, he stood up abruptly, his anger returning.

"I can't have this talk with you, you're just lashing out because you don't know how to deal with it either." He backed up a few paces so that he could actually pace the room. Pitch just watched a moment, he'd never seen Jack pace before.

"You can't just go after him in revenge. Those fae... they aren't going to let you." Pitch just sat there in silence.

"Just... _listen_ to me okay? I ..." His voice cracked. _I can't lose you..._

"I _am_ listening Jack. I can't stop listening to your fears. I used to think you were full of fear but apparently I had _no_ idea of the depth of terror and fear you could actually contain. Forgive me, but I can't actually think clearly at the moment. I'm... I'm not perfect Jack and my mind is a garbage dump. I find that I need to take painkillers just to deal with the headaches your fears provide, a shame you can't do the same; numb your fears with them." Jack stared blankly at him, as if unable to comprehend it all before he looked away, guilt washing over him. Jack wanted to just disappear, Pitch was angry with him and nothing he could say or do would change it.

"I can't think past your fears." Jack felt even more guilty, flinching a little.

"I'm sorry."

"I can't _think_... I thought... before, maybe my ability to read fear had been damaged, taken away with the Shadows. It was just the scarf... and you expect me to stay here and not hunt down that creature? Not tear him limb from limb?"

"I don't know what to expect, but I don't want you putting yourself in danger. I just... I don't want you to throw away what you've done by running blindly after him... if you think what Cahal did hurts - I mean... can't I just have you for a little while before you disappear? Is that too much to ask? I just-" Jack laughed a bit bitterly, this was pathetic, _he_ was pathetic. He sounded like everything he didn't want to be at the moment, ever.

"Since this seems to be a night for arguments, why don't you just tell me _when_ you were going to remove that scarf; obviously no time soon if it hadn't been for the Fearlings wanting to taunt me." Jack jerked, the words jolting him more than he wanted them to.

"I..." Jack began, swallowing hard, it wasn't really a question he had an answer for. Not even for himself.

"Well? I'm waiting." Pitch's voice was dangerously soft, that didn't help matters.

"It's off now." Jack said, it was all he could say.

"Yes... it is."

"You shouldn't have to deal with this, not on top of... everything else that's happened."

"What could have possibly happened to make this less significant?" Jack had no answer for that either. He was saved from having to provide one when North walked into the room.

"What is going on here? I want answer. I'm tired of conversations happening in Workshop that I'm not a part of." Pitch laughed a little, the sound so broken that it made Jack wince.

"You want answers? Well apparently Jack has been hiding the fact from _everyone_ that he was sexually assaulted by Cahal and was so badly _traumatized_ by it that he's been having flashbacks among dealing with other things. That's the only big secret I know of, did I miss anything _Jack_?" Jack was horrified how casually Pitch had spoken to North about what he'd discovered just recently. He glanced up at North then, pain lancing through him at the mention of it; when he saw the sad expression on North's features he glanced away, unable to look at the other Guardian. It was bad enough dealing with Pitch's reaction. This revelation, he knew, would _change_ everything... He had been hiding it because he didn't want things to change. Jack wanted to run, to escape this. He snatched up his staff from where it rested and floated up, ready to flee.

"Wait... I know I have no right to ask that of you considering what I just said... what you said..." North gave him a puzzled sort of look and Pitch sighed.

"I pushed him too hard." Jack looked to North then, an unreadable expression on the frost spirit's face.

"Make sure he doesn't go after Cahal." It was all he said and then he was gone. The winds answering to his call and carrying him away.

Jack just needed to think, to clear his head. He had headed to Antarctica without thinking. Now he stood on the edge of the same cliff he had a year before when he'd wanted to hurl the teeth capsule that held his memories as far away from him as possible. He walked up to the ice sculpture that he and Pitch had created, he touched it gently, as if it might break. The words that had been spoken to him rang in his mind.

" _What goes better together than cold and dark?"_ Pitch had been right then. Jack clenched his fist, but even in his anger, his hurt he couldn't even muster the thought of harming the twisted beauty that stood before him. Instead he flew up to the top of it and carefully lowered himself onto the top spike of it. Testing it to see if it would hold his weight before settling down on it, he straddled the thing like it was a mount; he then hung his head. He felt drained from having talked to Pitch, but it wasn't a physical drain. Not even a mental one if he thought about it, he just... he wished he could pour it all out and then things would be fixed again, but he knew that couldn't happen. The world didn't work that way. It never worked the way that any one person could wish it to. A snowflake formed in his hand and he looked at it before setting it adrift below him, for once he didn't feel like playing, like having fun. He felt like something inside him had died. Like he wasn't even himself anymore. He wondered if it was possible for a center to shift before dismissing the thought. One's center was what they'd been born with, it wasn't something that one could just change like one changed hairstyles or changed how they viewed something, but that didn't mean they were the embodiment of that center all of the time. Jack stared up, the moon was only a sliver now, he remembered about how he'd ranted and raved, pleaded and begged with the moon a little over a year ago; desperately seeking answers every time there had been a full moon. Praying that the Man in the Moon would offer up some sort answer as to why he was here, why he couldn't be seen. He'd never received an answer for those questions, well, not a direct one. He'd been snatched up and dumped at the North Pole, told he was a Guardian, that he'd been chosen. Jack's gaze shifted back to the sculpture beneath him and suddenly bitter anger welled in him. Pitch had offered him comfort freely and Jack had been the one to reject it... to _reject_ Pitch. He snarled at no one in particular; he wanted that comfort, badly. Like a person wanted a breath after being robbed of it. Even after everything Pitch had done for him, Jack had flinched back, like he was the enemy. Jack's hands clenched his fists harder around his staff. Jack shivered, but not from cold, never from the cold, but from pain and hate. He knew the winds that howled around him now would drown out any cry he might make, but he didn't yell, even as much as he wanted to he didn't make a single sound.

What sort of world was this that allowed such pain? Such hate? That made him feel sick inside because of a power-hungry fae. He felt anything but innocent, not that he had been exactly when he'd discovered Pitch's lair again, but he felt that something like it had been ripped from him. This world was cold... not a physical cold... but one that gripped the heart and made him feel lost. He felt out of control. Like nothing he did mattered, like he was invisible to the world once more as he had been for 300 years. He closed his eyes, letting out a shuddering breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. His power hadn't been taken from him, but a part of him had been stolen by the Shadows when they had possessed him; a part he feared he would never be able to get back. In this place, where not a soul ventured, he had the illusion of being utterly alone. He thought he wanted that, that he wanted to just be left alone, but now that he seemed to have it he realized it wasn't what he wanted at all. He didn't know what he wanted, he couldn't turn back the clock, couldn't undo the hate-filled words he'd spoken to Pitch. He shuddered as he realized he could not atone for them, that Pitch probably hated him now. His head hit the tip of the curve of the spike he sat on and he dissolved into hopeless tears. Not caring that they accumulated down the length of the spike only to freeze into an ever growing tear-drop icicle below. Time passed him by and eventually his tears stopped flowing. He felt as if he were drifting into the nothingness that had been laying beneath the ice of the pond he had called home for so long. He felt like an empty wind that promised only death and destruction. It didn't really feel bad, it didn't feel like anything really. He surrendered to it, wanting the blissful nothingness that it offered him. He sagged completely against the ice sculpture as it swirled around him, along with the cold wind, and lulled him into the bliss of unconsciousness without dreams to chase him.

He knew he would have to go back. He would have to face what he'd said. He wasn't eager to do so and for now he found some measure of peace. Even if it was only fleeting. He hadn't meant any of it... even if he had spoken truth of the turmoil inside his heart. He hadn't meant to lash out like that... to hurt Pitch... He never wanted that, but what was done was done and soon enough he would need to return and face the consequences, for even an immortal could not escape the consequences of their own actions or words.


	16. Time to Heal

Pitch stood up, not sure what North had made of the two of them when he'd walked in, but he didn't care at the moment as he gazed longingly at the window that Jack had used to make his escape. Pitch sighed, he wouldn't go after Cahal, for all the things that Jack had said to him, he knew that the frost spirit was right. He couldn't simply go after the enemy, no matter how much he wanted the other to suffer for what they had done to Jack.

"What will you do now?" North asked and Pitch turned to him, his thoughts interrupted.

"Think. I won't go after Cahal... Moon knows I want to though." The Guardian just nodded, as if he understood and after a moment he realized that he did. There was the same spark of anger in North that he felt himself. He took some comfort in that, at least Jack was safe now; with Cahal defeated he was certain there was no reason to chase after Jack, at least not a reason that went beyond his own wants and needs. He had finally accepted what he'd told Jack, that he needed the young Guardian in his life. There had been such a long time of loneliness in his life, he had never believed that he could have found the joy and happiness he had found with Jack, and curse it all if he wasn't scared of losing that, of losing Jack. Between Jack's capture and then being consumed by the Nightmares, Pitch hadn't had a chance to settle, to sort out all of his feelings and thoughts. He breathed, he had all the time in the world now, it seemed. He sat down on the bed that Jack had vacated recently, things were so messed up. He had reached out to Jack and the other had flinched, as if he'd been burned or something and Pitch had felt his fear, his disgust and it had struck him like a blow. He wanted to murder Cahal alright, but more than that he wanted the water fae to suffer, as he had made Jack to suffer every time someone tried to comfort him or just simply touch him. Cahal was a true monster, to sink low enough to do this all to strike at Pitch, to hurt the former Nightmare King. Jack had run off, to think, at least that was what Pitch presumed he'd done. He cradled his head in his hands, he didn't know how he was going to help Jack; how he was going to heal this "sickness" that had seemed to sink into the alabaster skin he loved so. None of the things he knew in his thousands of years of living seemed to help, none of them offered any answers because in spite of living so very long, nothing of what he'd done had set him in such a situation where he would actually try to heal someone, help someone; the Shadows had seen to that. He growled in frustration at that, at the helplessness he felt and how he hated it with a passion. There was only one solution that Pitch could think of that might help and that was to remedy his lack of knowledge on such things. Knowing North had a vast library, he was certain the Guardian had at least one or two books that could help. He stood up and strode out of the room in search of the library. He figured he had a lot to learn in a short time and he was more than eager to get started.

Jack found that the place was quiet when he returned. He was kind of glad for this as he drifted into the window that was where the room he'd claimed as his was; or rather, it was the room that North had made up for him, the walls were painted so that the blue shades became white as they got closer to the floor, it was a rather calming effect and Jack sighed in appreciation as he settled on the cool, blue sheets on the bed. The sheets had snowflakes etched into them as did the pillow, seeing it made him smile; he was grateful to North for this, he really was and he made a note to tell the Guardian of it later. For now, he simply lay down on the bed, looking up at the ceiling that had been painted to mirror the night sky. That, too was calming and Jack felt the peace he'd found in the nothingness was finding him here too. He was a little surprised when he heard a knock at the door. He was certain that no one knew he'd come in and then nearly smacked himself, of _course_ Pitch would know. He looked at the door when he realized the other hadn't simply come in; Pitch was standing at the door, he had it partly open.

"May I come in?" Jack nodded, knowing he would see even in the darkness in the room. Pitch closed the door behind him with one hand, the other seemed to be holding a plateful of various treats, mostly cookies, candy canes and small mints in the shape of a Christmas Tree with a variety of Christmas colors to choose from. Jack worried that Pitch was still angry, but the other didn't seem that way as he moved to the chair that was sitting next to the bed. Pitch settled into the chair, but didn't try to get closer or touch him; Jack wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. What little light flittered into the room made the silver embroidery on Pitch's robes shine like they could produce their own light.

"I'm sorry about earlier," Pitch began, setting the plate on the bed between the two of them as Jack sat up, eyeing the plate thoughtfully even as Pitch took a cinnamon cookie.

"I should not have so flippantly revealed your secret to North like that." Jack didn't really feel hungry, but nonetheless he picked up one of the mints and stuck it on his tongue, savoring the flavor though he knew it wouldn't melt. Still, he enjoyed it. He shrugged at what Pitch said.

"Yeah, well..." He left it unfinished, he didn't really need to list all of the excuses he could come up with.

"Still, I am sorry." Pitch sighed a little when Jack said nothing in response.

"Tell me that this doesn't make you angry." Jack said as he finished the mint, looking directly at Pitch now. Pitch shook his head.

"That would be lying." Jack watched as Pitch finished off the cookie, drawn to watching the movement like a cat watched a fish. Jack blinked in pure surprise when he realized that he was less watching the actual action and focused more on the movement of Pitch's lips, lips that he wanted to touch, to taste again. He couldn't help but feel like there was an ever widening gap between the two of them now.

"I ... said some really embarrassing things earlier." Jack began, trying to shift his focus away from that mouth that he yearned for.

"Did you?" Pitch didn't seemed bothered and Jack met his gaze, he didn't see any hint of anger there now or hurt.

"Seemed like complete honesty to me, the first true words you've spoken since you returned." Jack blinked.

"You were right too." Pitch added.

"What?" Pitch reached out and rested his hand over Jack's calf, Jack closed his eyes at the warmth of the touch. This touch was safe from any flashbacks, it was warm and Jack couldn't help but want more.

"I did lash out at you, I didn't know how to deal with..." He trailed off, he didn't need to finish. When Jack said nothing, Pitch continued on as if he hadn't paused.

"When the Shadows took you, I thought that would be the last time I would ever see you. That I had lost the most precious thing in my life, again, before I could make you understand... You saved me Jack. From the moment you entered my life again, you saved me from myself and the darkness."

"Well... I couldn't help but feel guilty about last year." Jack said finally, swallowing the last of the mint he'd been chewing on.

"So you said."

"But even so... it was you who saved me. You destroyed the Shadows, you didn't give up on me even though I know you had to have had doubts." He shivered in delight at the look Pitch was giving him, it filled his heart with warmth. Particularly since he knew that Pitch was only this open with him.

"I wasn't going to give up on the best thing I'd ever had. I didn't really save you like I should have though, I didn't save you from a great deal of things."

"Please don't make a big deal out of this." Jack said softly, as if he were afraid that speaking louder would shatter this reality and he'd be back in Cahal's cavern dungeon, that all of this was some twisted dream in his mind to escape what the real reality was.

"I am not making it any more than it is."

"Well, my fears have always been out of proportion considering-"

"No, they haven't. Some maybe, but over all no. I didn't come here tonight to argue over these issues, but to ask you something." Jack tilted his head slightly in consideration as he plucked a candy cane from the plate and stuck the curved portion in his mouth.

"I know you can well take care of yourself, but if you would like someone along for the ride..." It wasn't so much a question as a request. Jack straightened when he realized what it was Pitch was asking.

"I'm a mess." He said, after pulling the candy from his mouth. A slight smile curved on Pitch's face.

"You've always been a mess, we're two of a kind remember?" Jack nodded a little.

"I'm kind of more of a mess than before though."

"You're preaching to the choir, so to speak." Jack felt his heart began to beat a little quicker as hope surged through him. Perhaps he hadn't messed this all up as bad as he'd been beating himself up for...

"How much do you know?" The question lingered in the air, as much as Jack dreaded the answer to it he needed to know.

"Enough, but I do not think we need to talk about this right now."

"Why not?" Pitch sighed.

"Because it is a fine line sitting here talking to you about this and hunting down the creature responsible and using my abilities as a golden warrior to show him just how much of the Nightmare King is still inside me." Jack felt the fear that was coiled deep within him spring up again, ready to take hold at a moment's notice.

" _There,_ that is why." Pitch sighed a little, rubbing one hand along his face.

"Although I'm sure you won't believe me - this isn't your fault Jack." Jack shook his head with a bit of a forced laugh.

"You're right, I don't believe it." He'd thought hearing it from someone would ease the burden of the event a little but instead it just made him want to argue. Jack stuck the candy cane back in his mouth again instead and as he did he realized that this was the first time Pitch had ever brought him something to eat. Not that he needed to eat, but still...

"You know I prefer to be blunt, so I'm just going to ask. Do you want us to be intimate again?" Jack blinked, caught off guard by the question. He considered briefly that they were talking like they had been before, but no, there were some topics that were out of bounds. He could still feel the warmth of Pitch's hand on his calf, now lightly stroking his ankle and other thoughts he hadn't considered in so long began to slowly trickle into his mind. He'd assumed that Pitch would hate him for what he'd done when he had been possessed, that Pitch would just walk away from him for being too weak to fight. It had been a fear churning inside him, partly due to his fear of rejection from earlier on in their relationship and they did have a _thing_ didn't they? He just didn't want to get Pitch's hopes up only to have them dashed when his fears rose up and became too much for him. He shifted a little uncomfortably, but didn't move the foot that Pitch's hand lay on.

"I want things to be the way they were before... so... yeah?"

"You didn't even think that far ahead, did you? Considering that intimacy would mean I'd find the scarf." Jack shook his head, though whether in denial of that or in agreement that he hadn't thought that far, Pitch couldn't be sure. He moved his hand to lightly brush Jack's arm and Jack flinched before he could stop it. Pitch paused a moment before continuing it down to his wrists and then drawing back. Jack dropped his head a little and sighed, disappointed with himself.

"I'm not really cut out for this sort of thing. I'm not some trained warrior able to handle situations that rise with war." He sighed, glancing only briefly at Pitch before he went on.

"I don't know what I'm doing anymore, I used to love making snow days and helping kids have fun, even after what-" He paused a moment then swallowed around the lump in his throat to go on. "Even after what he did to me, I still knew what I was doing and what it meant to have fun. I'd sail on the winds like a boat or annoy people by sweeping past them on the streets. I was a mischief maker and I helped kids have fun. Even when I accidently stumbled into your lair and was tripped up by the guilt-" Pitch nodded.

"Yes, I felt that when you came in."

"Yeah, well... you did a good job of distracting me from it." Jack reminded him, a blush rising to his cheeks. Pleased when he saw Pitch's lips curve a little. The pleasure faded though when he realized just how close Pitch was and he wasn't able to reach out for him nor was Pitch reaching for him.

"Will you... take my hand?" Pitch asked after a moment. Jack thought about it for a long while, before slowly reaching out taking the offered hand into his. He felt a slight buzzing sensation when his fingers curled around the bronze ones, but there wasn't a hint of fear, not even when Pitch gently squeezed back. A soft, pained sound escaped Pitch and Jack's eyes darted from their hands to Pitch's face, but he was staring at their hands so Jack couldn't properly see.

"You were already afraid of these things, and now..." He trailed off.

"He knew what he was doing." Jack jolted, his hand shot away from Pitch's.

"How much do you know?" His voice was shaky and a little higher than usual.

"How much?" He persisted, he wanted an answer this time.

"Some are your fears are vague, distant and are mostly just colors, but a select few are... specific. Flashbacks come back differently than normal fears. They were easy for me... for the Nightmare King to exploit because they reveal so much more." Jack trembled, helpless against his fears. Pitch sighed.

"I don't think we should be talking about this, you're tired."

Several moments passed before Pitch spoke again.

"Will you take my hand again? I won't hurt you." Jack knew this, but hearing it had a bit of a calming effect on him and so he reached out again to curl his fingers around the warmth that Pitch's provided. Pitch seemed content to not do anything, he didn't move nor did he return the pressure that Jack applied in a short squeeze. A minute passed slowly by, then another and they both sighed at the same time, as if they'd been holding their breath, waiting for something - anything - to happen.

"I'm sorry about all this." Jack said finally, breaking the silence.

"It's alright Jack, you're doing well."

"Don't patronize me." Pitch scoffed a little.

"Have you really met me? I'm the former Nightmare King, I couldn't care less about being condescending. At least not now, but I do want to be close to you and if this is all I can get then this is all I will take. I know how hard you are trying."

"Is it... giving you a headache?"

"Your fears? No, not presently." Jack lightly stroked his fingers along Pitch's palm, testing the ground. Pitch inhaled slowly, drinking in the sensation and Jack repeated the gesture. He wanted to give more, but he knew that it wasn't that simple; wanting didn't make it easy nor made it possible. Jack leaned forward before he knew what he was doing, he wanted to give Pitch this, just a gentle brush of lips, a reminder of what had once been, but he stopped half way. He met Pitch's gaze, he found his fears curling in his stomach.

"I want to..." He said softly.

"You will."

"Will I?"

"In time."

"Are you sure?"

"If you still want to when the time comes, then yes." He hesitated a moment before deciding to push forward.

"I made a mistake when I told you I wasn't going anywhere, I made the mistake of assuming that my feelings were strong enough to withstand anything. I was, perhaps, stating more how I felt than a fact, but that doesn't make it okay. Nothing stays the same, and there's something in that. What you feel now, you won't always feel. It may get better, it may get worse, but it will not simply stay as it is now. It is a simple constant in life and when change comes we will deal with it." Jack was silent then, unsure of how to proceed. He sighed a little, shifting back to where he'd been, crunching on what was left of the candy cane now. The two sat in a companionable silence for a long time, each in their own thoughts now. Still, it was more than what Jack had hoped for days before; more than he had thought could be and if this was all he could do for now, well, he would have to be content with that. Wasn't there an old human saying that said time healed all things? He hoped it was true, oh but he _hoped._


	17. Not Over Yet

Jack felt himself in a familiar place. He was in Burgess again, he smiled a little when he saw Jamie and his friends but realized it must be a dream, a nightmare, when Jamie walked right through him and none of the kids acknowledged him. It was an old fear, he only felt resignation though instead of a new wave of fear; he'd had this dream so many times. No one saw him, it hurt of course when he saw the Guardians and they didn't pay him any more attention than anyone else. Of course he was invisible to them too, he'd had this in his dream as well but he felt a wave of relief when he spotted Pitch striding towards the group. He moved forward to speak only to shudder and gasp when Pitch also walked through him and struck up a conversation with North. Jack felt a surge of fear, it didn't help when he realized he didn't have his staff either and the wind whipped around and through him, ignoring his calls to lift him up as it usually did. Jack ran from the scene, cowering against a wall as he watched people walk by in the streets, going about their lives without ever being touched by Jack's appearance because he simply wasn't there. A ghost of sorts.

"There now, I can see you just fine." Jack whipped around to see Cahal standing a few feet away. He brushed back a few stray locks damp with water dripping from them. Jack's heart plummeted and his fear escalated as he scrambled to get away while Cahal followed a leisurely pace.

"So pathetic, you really are a liability to them you know." Suddenly the entire world seemed to drop from view and he found himself back in the cavern with Cahal, the seaweed curled tightly around his wrists, binding him in one place no matter how hard he tugged. Cahal's soft laughter only made him struggle harder and terror rose in him. He opened his mouth, at first nothing seemed to come out, but then he couldn't help but scream the name of the one he needed the most. Whose protection and presence he had unwittingly come to rely so heavily on.

"PITCH!"

A warm hand on his shoulder shook him awake. Jack's eyes flew open, his heart pounding in his throat. He couldn't scream even if he wanted to though he felt a bit calmer when he realized it was Pitch who was in the room, worry shining in the golden orbs. Jack clutched one hand against his heart, willing his breathing to slow and for himself to calm as he realized it was just a dream, a nightmare, nothing more. He was safe in North's Workshop. Cahal had been locked up and thawed out. He had no reason to fear the other, but as he sighed he knew that it would be a while before he'd sleep well on his own. Not that he really needed sleep, but sometimes it was good, but not when it was full of nightmares of what had been.

"How long have you been having these nightmares?" Jack shrugged a little. He wasn't sure exactly when they had started, but they sure as heck were persistent. Even with the threat of of Cahal removed as well as that of the the Shadows. It was almost impossibly too good to be true. The Shadows, the despicable creatures that had plagued many for so long were now completely gone. No one would ever have to worry about them, not that bad dreams would stay away, but at least they would be so much less terrifying. He felt bruised, but then again he'd always felt that after someone had walked through him; he wasn't sure if it was all in his mind or just a consequence of having someone actually move through him. He didn't fell entirely visible, but that wasn't a new feeling, though the feeling of Pitch's hand on his shoulder was still so real even though he'd lost the sensation when he'd bolted up. Jack wasn't sure what he was supposed to do about the nightmares, it wasn't like he could just wish them away... and had Pitch heard him? Had he really cried out? He wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer to that.

"It's nothing, honest." He added when he saw the look that Pitch was giving him. He really didn't want a big deal to be made out of something as simple as a dream, even if it was a nightmare.

"Is this part of what you've been going through, along with the flashbacks, nightmares?" Jack was silent for a moment.

"You know, you wanted me afraid of Cahal. Don't deny it, it was in your tone when you warned me. Am I afraid enough now?" He all but snapped, he was sure that Pitch didn't deserve his anger, he had no reason to be angry, but he was. Pitch flinched back.

"I didn't _want_ this." He said quietly, Jack laughed; not because it was funny, but because he was afraid that if he didn't he'd become hysterical again and break down into tears.

"But that was your aim, to make me afraid."

"Jack, you've just had a nightmare." Pitch said, too calmly for Jack.

"I don't want your comfort!" He snapped.

"Then what do you want?" He hated this, Jack hated the way he was acting, but right now he couldn't think straight through the fear and anger he was feeling. He couldn't control all this anymore.

"For it to not have happened! That's not going to happen though is it?" Pitch frowned at him then, his expression becoming darker all of the sudden.

"This is an awful lot of fuss for something that is _nothing._ " Jack wasn't sure how to respond to that for a moment, he swore Tooth was going to chew him out later for grinding his teeth. He narrowed his eyes at Pitch.

"Get out."

"You were calling for me." He replied smoothly. It did nothing to soothe Jack's anger.

"I'm not calling for you now am I? Get out. I do not want to talk about this." Pitch's eyes narrowed slightly, but he didn't seem angry at him. More like he was thinking of something before he moved towards the door. Jack suddenly felt fear replace his anger all at once, he didn't want Pitch to go. He didn't want to need to be around anyone, but he knew he needed Pitch. Even if he didn't say so to himself. Pitch paused near the door and turned to glance over his shoulder.

"This is only normal. If you need me you know where to find me. I'll come back later to check on you." Jack felt a surge of relief.

"You will?" Later, maybe later he would have more control over himself. Later could be good.

"Of course." With that, Pitch stepped out and closed the door behind him. Jack sank back into the bed, Pitch was going to give him space; it wasn't space he wanted, but he had to admit he sorely needed it. Well, a little space wouldn't hurt.

It was while he was pilfering some candy canes from a tree that North found him a little before noon.

"Is good to see you about, Jack. Yeti are making more for you." He said, nodding towards the candy canes that Jack held. Jack stuck one his mouth a moment, sticking the others in his pocket. He pulled the sweet out long enough to ask.

"Are we going to talk about it?" He knew that North would want to talk to him about what had happened, especially now that he knew. Jack knew that he would need to talk about it some time.

"Are you wanting to talk about it?" North asked, instead of answering. Well, the question was an answer in itself, sort of. Jack shook his head, he wasn't ready to talk.

"I am so sorry Jack." Jack raised an eyebrow.

"Isn't this talking about it?"

"Not exactly, this is something I am talking. You can choose not to talk and listen. I am having things I want to say. I make quick, I promise." Jack stuck the candy cane back in his mouth again. North took it as a sign of acceptance and continued on.

"You be staying? Wonderful! What I have say is this: I cannot pretend to understand what you went through or has been like for you. Not even recent events. I am knowing only the sides you let me see and only understanding tiny bits. What I do understand gives me feeling that I have to explain: You did nothing wrong Jack. Not even little." Jack snapped the candy cane he was enjoying, half of it was in his mouth, the other in his hand. He removed it after a moment of realizing what he'd done.

"I messed up. I should have taken Pitch's warning more seriously."

"Is hard to take Pitch seriously like he one of us. Especially after what he did last year, it is still fresh in everyone's minds."

"This is an awful lot like talking about it." Jack said after a moment before sticking the broken head of the candy cane into his mouth and crunching it. North just sighed a little, that seemed to be a common thing these days, either Jack was the one doing it or it was someone else. North left him on his own then, he had said it would be quick and the Guardian's word was good but Jack hadn't expected it to be that short. Days slowly ticked by and Jack fell into an easy routine, going out in the mornings to spread snow or touch up some areas before returning to either pester the elves or watch the yetis work. He'd glimpse Pitch at times, often with a book in hand; sometimes Bunnymund, Sandy or Tooth would drop in, but he still couldn't talk to any of them about what had happened and they didn't push. Some mornings Jack woke up on his own, others it was because Pitch had pulled him from a nightmare. It was always the same dream and no matter how many times he had it, he still felt fresh fear. As much as he wanted to be with Pitch he also found that just thinking about it for too long would cause fear to curl up inside his stomach. He hated it every time it happened. This should have been over with when Cahal was defeated, but it wasn't; he still had nightmares and still could feel the unwanted touch if someone so much as accidentally brushed against him wrong. The longer this went on the worse he felt, the guilt for feeling this way when he knew, _knew_ , that those whose touch he was shying away from would never hurt him in a million years... that they would die first before they hurt him. Knowing that didn't help, nothing seemed to.

The following day wasn't one of Jack's better days. Jack angrily paced his room, his staff was against the wall out of his reach so he wouldn't be tempted to accidentally destroy the room with his frost in his frustration. He didn't notice that the door opened and closed, he was so wrapped up in it that he was startled when he heard someone clearing their throat. He paused and looked up, it was Bunnymund; he stood with his paws crossed before him and an expression that seemed to say 'well?' Jack frowned at him.

"What do you want?" He wasn't in the mood to put up with the Pooka's incessant teasing.

"Mate you gonna wear a ditch in that floor pacin' like that." Jack crossed his arms.

"Is that so?"

"Right then. I know ya frustrated but ya need to lay off yourself. These things take time mate. Can't make Easter in a single day, ya can't expect to heal from that sort of thin' so easy neither."

"You make Easter in a week. It's been longer than a week since this happened." The Pooka shook his head.

"Ya missin' the point. That bloke scarred you bad, an' scars don't fade over weeks or months. They take years."

"I don't want this to take _years_ Bunny. I'm tired of seeing everyone's reactions, of being thrust back to that time in flashbacks every time someone slips up. I am _sick_ of not being able to let someone give me a hug when I need one! It's not fair! To anyone!" Bunny simply listened to him without interruption. It wasn't like the Pooka to be so patient and understanding with him, but seeing him trying to be cooled Jack's anger because the Pooka really was trying so hard to be the friend to Jack he said he was. Jack sighed.

"I'm sorry, I know that this isn't your fault or anything. I shouldn't be taking this out on you."

"It's what I'm here for mate. Your center is changing." Jack blinked in surprise.

"Is that even possible?" Bunny nodded.

"It don't happen often, but yeah." Jack considered it, was that maybe why he didn't feel the same urge to play with the kids as before? He was just glad that Jamie didn't have to see this side of him; it was summer in Burgess now and Jack was glad for the excuse to stay away from the place though he had visited it during the evening just to make sure his lake didn't thaw out.

"I reckon you feel all outta sorts, considering ya didn't have a center waitin' to take the place of the other. Before I became the Easter Bunny I was into all sorts of things, including the magic of centers."

"I thought we were born with them."

"Ya are mate, everyone is but that don't mean they can't change if the need is great enough. Considerin' all ya been through it's not a wonder it is changin'. It's not makin' your healin' any faster though."

"So... what do I do then? Just wait for it to happen? For a new center?"

"Ya can, or ya can influence one by searchin' out things related to it." Jack thought about that a moment before nodding.

"Thanks for the advice."

"Anytime, an' one more thing mate." Jack looked at him questioningly.

"Somethin' that's worth fightin' for ain't always easy. Sometimes it's worth it 'cause gettin' it is hard." As the Pooka left Jack with his thoughts, he wondered when the rabbit had gotten so wise, or had he always been and Jack just hadn't noticed?

Later that evening Jack found himself perched on the armrest of the chair Pitch was sitting in. Jack was watching him read a book, the silence was companionable, but Jack wanted more. He wanted things to be back they way they had been. He didn't want the heavy burden that lay on his heart, a mix of fears for his future with Pitch, his future period, and fears from his past that seeped into the present, such as the fear that he'd be forgotten. Jack wasn't sure he could sort himself out anytime soon and before he could stop himself, he'd gently brushed a finger along Pitch's cheek, the motion made Pitch pause in his reading and glance over at Jack. He set the book on the small table nearby.

"Jack?" Jack didn't say anything as he shifted to settle into Pitch's lap, he gently wound his arms around Pitch's neck and pressed his lips gently against the other's. It was a chaste kiss and he found that the fears in the back of his mind stayed there and were quiet, or at least as quiet as they had always been; Pitch didn't move, but he did return the kiss. Jack sighed softly as he dared to deepen the kiss, how he'd missed this. He tentatively darted his tongue in and out of Pitch's mouth, a sound of delight coming from him at the familiar warmth, the taste of cinnamon and bitter sweetness that was Pitch. The water fae hadn't had the time to ruin this for him, though he'd had no doubt at the time that he'd meant to; that he'd meant to destroy everything. Jack didn't think about that though as Pitch's hands lightly came to rest on his shoulders, he didn't flinch; he needed this. He felt a tinge of fear begin when one of Pitch's hands brushed the back of his neck, but he shook it off in his mind quickly. He felt dizzy for a moment with fear when he felt Pitch's hands drag down his back, Pitch stilled and Jack recovered after a moment of fighting against it. He leaned back to look at Jack.

"No, you don't have to stop. I.. we can do this..." Pitch didn't seem as sure. Jack knew that doing this was like walking into a minefield, but he needed this. He wanted this.

"Will you let me see them?" He asked quietly.

"I... I don't... I'm not ready for that." Jack said after a moment. He didn't want Pitch to see the scars, his wounds had healed, but the bite of a waterhorse was poison and it always left a scar on any survivor. Jack wasn't ready for that because he feared what Pitch would think when he saw them.

"Because it will make it real? Because it is part of something you won't talk to me about?" Jack shifted, feeling uneasy. He leaned back a bit, but Pitch held him in his grip, not about to let him go. He pressed his lips against the corner of Jack's neck, lightly nipping at the sensitive skin, causing Jack to shiver. The sensation left Jack weak and wanting more, he slide a hand beneath Pitch's robes, closing his eyes as he simply let himself feel. It seemed like it'd been an eternity since he had felt like this. Pitch pulled away slightly to look at him.

"Jack." It was as much of a question as a whispered statement.

"I.. please..."

"You're scared Jack, more than normal."

"I know, I just... you want me to share my scars but they're not just physical and- I don't want to wait forever for this... I don't know if I _can_ do this but I have to- want to try. I can't just not- I need to-" Pitch cut him off with a gentle kiss. Jack was certain that he might pull away again, but was pleasantly surprised when instead, Pitch picked him up and moved over to the bed, setting them both down. Jack clung to him dizzily, despite his fears he wanted to share this with Pitch. Pitch eased them both down onto the bed, gently nibbling at Jack's ear; sending little waves of pleasure through him. His heart pounded as Pitch's hands fluttered down his arms, there was no fear there, only sensation. His eyes closed again as he fell into the heady delight of sensation from Pitch's kisses, he pushed his fingers through Pitch's hair his breath hitched as a jolt ran through him when Pitch lightly ran his fingers through Jack's.

"No... not- not that." Pitch shifted his hand away and Jack claimed his mouth again in a shearing kiss, but to his disappointment the jolt of fear he'd gotten didn't vanish. Jack uttered a sound of frustrated disappointment.

"It's still there, it just won't go away..."

"It will." Jack trembled, but it wasn't from the fear. He pressed into Pitch.

"Do you want to keep going?" He laid his hand on Jack's chest, meeting his eyes.

"I... thought you might not want to because of the fear..."

"It is difficult, but I can tell that you want this."

"What about you?" Pitch was silent a moment before shifting a little and Jack took a quick intake of breath as he felt Pitch's arousal against his leg. Pitch slid his hand slowly down Jack's chest, his golden orbs holding the icy blue ones as if in a trance. Jack couldn't look away, but when Pitch's hand slipped beneath the sweatshirt he felt another jolt of fear.

"No... not the... I'm not making this easy am I?" Pitch let out a soft chuckle.

"No, but then no one said it had to always be easy. So tell me, what is it you want?"

Jack wasn't sure how to answer that for a moment. He tried to think, but it was difficult, particularly with Pitch's hand on his stomach.

"More." The answer elected a soft chuckle from Pitch.

"Well it's obvious you can't be naked, and I don't think we should go all the way, but we can manage more. Do you trust me?" Jack nodded.

"I trust you, it's my own head I don't trust what with all the roadblocks it keeps flinging up."

"As long as you let me know when I misstep, it should be more than fine."

Jack's heart was pounding, he was still afraid, but it wasn't like it had been the first few days. He nearly sighed when he realized they were both still fully clothed, he wanted to offer Pitch more, but he didn't know how and wasn't sure he could at this point. Pitch shifted to lazily drape one of his legs over Jack's at least that hadn't been ruined because it hadn't happened before. Sad as he was that he couldn't offer more, Jack felt more comfortable than he remembered since when he'd returned.

"Perhaps you should see Sandman." Pitch said after a moment.

"What for?"

"Good dreams might help you. Just as bad ones can damage you, good dreams could help you deal with the scars you have on the inside." Jack nodded, thoughtful. He didn't like bothering the golden Guardian because Jack knew how hard he worked, but for something like this... well, it wouldn't hurt to ask. He knew that he could tell Sandy anything and the other Guardian wouldn't judge. Maybe that's why he found it so easy to get along with the Guardian of Dreams; he didn't want to talk about the incident, not even to Sandy, but he knew that there was a higher cost to keeping it to himself.

"When I had the scarf, I kept thinking... sometimes hoping that it wouldn't work. That maybe you'd see past it anyway and see the fear and understand." Pitch's expression was one of pure surprise when Jack glanced at him.

"I didn't know that." Jack sighed a little.

"I also didn't want you to know, I didn't want it to hurt either of us really, but I just felt trapped. Caught between wanting to tell you and the fear of telling you." Pitch drew him close, holding onto him suddenly like it was the last thing he'd ever do. Jack felt a twinge of discomfort at how tight he was being held, but he said nothing about it. When he thought to though shock went through him as he realized that Pitch was shaking.

"Pitch?"

"It terrifies me... the thought of losing you. I know that there are casualties of war, but I don't want you to be that, I want you separate from all that." Jack wasn't sure what to say. He wrapped his arms around Pitch, lightly rubbing his back and Pitch's grip loosened slightly then; easing the discomfort, but he didn't let go. Jack let him hold him close, ignoring the images that tried to push their way into his mind. Pitch needed him and that was more important, he was surprised a little at how easy it was to forget the event even occurred when Pitch was like this, shaking from fear and needed Jack to comfort him, to protect him.


	18. Place of Our Own

It was some time just before sunrise, Jack wondered if Sandy would even be present in the sand cloud that hung over the workshop; now that Jack stopped to think about it he'd seen Sandy's cloud hanging over the workshop the last month or so. He shook off the thought as he alighted on the golden cloud that was almost as wide as the workshop itself. Jack glanced around, but it was just him and Sandy. Sandy lounged on a beanbag chair of sand, when he saw Jack he smiled and beckoned him forward. A snowflake and a smiley face appearing above his hand.

"I'm glad to see you too." Jack said, returning the smile as the little Guardian bounced lightly from his seat and gestured to a cloud chair nearby but Jack shook his head and the chair disappeared.

"I actually have something I wanted to talk to you about." A question mark appeared above Sandy's head as he settled back into his seat and Jack settled down on the cloud nearby.

"Well... I've been having these nightmares..." Before the little Guardian could scold him, he hurried on.

"I know, I know I should have come to you before but I know you're busy at night and I just kept forgetting during the day after things began to settle down from the war." He winced slightly, but Sandy didn't seem bothered.

"Pitch said you might be able to help me have better dreams, to help me heal." At this the little Guardian looked pensive before smiling, a snowflake appeared above his head as well as the sign that humans used for medical, a caduceus, a staff with twin snakes twining it framed by wings.

"I'm... not sure how to really explain this." Jack went on after a moment, he gathered himself because he hadn't been able to say as much to Pitch.

"When I was with..." He paused, unable to speak the name and that caused him to clench his hands in frustration, but he went on, knowing that he needed to this out.

"With.. that Pond Spirit, he did switched his tactics... he compelled me to do... tell him what Pitch did to comfort me... then he... pretended to comfort me." For a long moment he couldn't look at the other Guardian, curiosity got the best of him though and he glanced back to see that Sandy was regarding him with wide eyes; obviously he wasn't too surprised at what Jack had said, he'd probably seen worse, but he still felt a little comfort that the other Guardian was as unhappy about that fact as much as Pitch was. Jack hurried to continue, before the other could say anything... well as much as Sandy spoke anyway.

"It's just little things... like Pitch running his hand through my hair... or holding my head... he can hold my hand and it not be a problem... but this affects others too... it's why I have problems hugging." Well, that was only partly true, it wasn't something that had been in his nature to do often, but aside from that the incident with Cahal only gave him another reason not to. Sandy pursed his lips, obviously in deep thought or at least Jack presumed him was. After a moment, he put his hands together and Jack watched as Sandy's dreamsand began to gather between his hands and as he moved his hands apart the ball between them grew and from their depths appeared a small snowflake on a long string. It fell to the ground and Sandy picked it up, offering it to Jack. He took the snowflake, brushing his fingers along it, it was solid despite that it still looked like it was made of Sandy's dream sand. He looked at the little Guardian who pointed to it then made a pinching movement with his fingers before a snowflake and a bed formed above his head.

"So... you want me to squeeze this before I go to bed?" He asked, wondering if he had gotten the interpretation right. Sandy nodded with a smile. Then a bed and a smiley face appeared.

"For good dreams, right. Thank you Sandy." The little Guardian beamed happily. Jack decided to stay with Sandy for a little while until the other Guardian started yawning and Jack had bid farewell to his friend as the first rays of the sun began to creep along the snowy land. After a moment's consideration, Jack looped the snowflake over his head and headed off to spread some snow in the southern hemisphere.

Pitch was polishing his sword when Jack returned. The blade gleamed in the light and Jack realized there were strange symbols etched into the blade he'd thought he might have seen before but couldn't place. Pitch glanced up, pausing in his work a moment.

"What is that? On the blade."

"It's the lunar alphabet."

"Does it say anything specific?"

"May this blade strike true." Jack was silent as he considered the words. It was a good saying for a sword.

"Nightmares aside, were there any ill effects from last night?"

"No, it was..." He paused, trying to find the right words and failing.

"I don't regret it." Pitch smiled slightly, obviously pleased, and Jack couldn't help returning the smile.

"I talked to Sandy last night, about... better dreams. He gave me this." Jack picked up the snowflake that had fallen beneath his hoodie. Pitch leaned closer to get a better look, it was only as big as a half dollar. After a moment of scrutinizing the snowflake he returned to polishing the blade. Jack was silent a moment before something occurred to him.

"It's funny, in a way, I spent so much time looking for someone... and now I that I have someone we can't do all the things I sort of want to be doing." Pitch was silent as he inspected his blade a moment, but when Jack was sure he wouldn't say anything, he spoke.

"For now, that is true. It won't always be." Jack nodded, smiling a little as he watched Pitch finish inspecting the sword before sheathing it.

"Where did you get that sword?"

"It was given to me when I was a golden warrior. We all had one. Its metal was made to repel the shadows."

"That's why I never saw you with it before then." Pitch nodded.

"When I was possessed I couldn't touch it for that reason." Jack only nodded.

"Do you have any plans today?" Jack asked, hoping that maybe they could spend some time together at the workshop.

"I do actually."

"Can I come?"

"I think I'd prefer to do this on my own. For now, but I appreciate that you want to come." Pitch said, a slight smile still tugged at his lips.

"Yeah, okay. I guess I'll see you later then." Pitch nodded and stepped into the shadows in his room and was gone. Jack shook his head, not sure what he was going to do for the rest of the day to amuse himself until Pitch returned. Maybe he'd freeze a few elves or something.

Pitch stood before the two story victorian home, he hadn't been to this place in a good long while. He had several places around the world, but he'd decided here was the best. Kostroma, it would be cool enough without being unbearably so and it was, like his other homes, secluded away from human eyes. No human could approach it or go inside without permission. He'd never given it. He wondered if that would change as he moved towards the house. He could almost smell all of the dust as soon as he began up the steps of the wide porch. It would take some work. Still, it would be worth it; he wanted it to be at its best when he brought Jack here. This was the home he intended to share with the frost spirit... If he could get Jack to stay that was. Brushing aside those thoughts he opened the door and stepped inside, he coughed a little at the dust that rose just from his footsteps. Yep, this place was going to need a lot of work. With a sigh, he decided to start with the main room and work his way up. It wasn't an unhappy sigh, he had good reason for being here and the thought of that reason caused a smile to tug at the corners of his lips. This would be so worth it, to see the look on Jack's face...

It was almost completely dark when Pitch returned, Jack could tell that he looked exhausted, but he didn't ask what the former Nightmare King had been up to. He reasoned that if Pitch wanted him to know then he would tell him. When this began to become a regular thing after a few days, however, Jack became a little concerned. One night he waited for Pitch in his room, arms crossed as he sat on the bed, his staff leaning up against the wall nearby.

"Okay, spill it." Jack said as soon as Pitch walked in. Pitch raised an eyebrow at Jack.

"What are you doing that is so exhausting? You've been at it for nearly a week now and it shows."

"Don't concern yourself on my part." Jack jolted slightly and Pitch immediately regretted his words. He sighed.

"That wasn't what I meant Jack. It's just that it's a little thing and it's nearly done. Another day or two at the most."

"What's with all the secrecy?"

"You'll see soon enough." Jack frowned a little as Pitch joined him on the bed, covering one of Jack's hands with his.

"I promise you it will be worth it." Jack looked down at their hands, as if considering his words.

"Alright. I trust you." Jack said, looking up at him again.

"Good." Pitch leaned forward for a chaste kiss. Jack smiled a little into the kiss as he returned it. He wanted to find out where Pitch was going every day, what he was doing, but he managed to clamp down on his impatience. Apparently whatever "it" was he intended to share with Jack, but only once it was done. Jack wasn't ever very good at patience, but he supposed that he could wait another couple days. That was Pitch's plan after all, but sometimes even the most well intended plans didn't go well... Pitch was considering redecorating the final room, he wanted Jack to feel welcome there, which meant changing some of the decor. It was in the middle of the final day, he figured that he might make adjustments later and the place was pretty much ready now all he had to do was take Jack there tomorrow. He set down the quill he'd been using to etch out mental exercises that were second nature to him; no sooner did he when he felt like he'd been punched in the gut. He didn't hesitate to shove back the chair and leapt into the shadows to where he felt Jack was. There was no telling how far from the Workshop they were, but the winter spirit was huddled beneath a jagged ice glacier. He looked so forlorn that Pitch's heart twisted.

"Jack?" Jack didn't respond or even look at him, it was then that he realized something was different... Jack's skin was iced over in frost and his icy blue eyes were much brighter than normal. He was shaking too, as if from head to toe. Pitch moved towards him, kneeling at his side.

"Jack... what happened?" He wasn't sure that something had happened, but he felt that this was important.

"Don't... don't tell the others." Jack said in a shaky voice. Pitch had to wonder what it was the boy was talking about until he followed Jack's gaze. Closer to the edge of the ice glacier was a small form huddled as if sleeping in the snow. Obviously a child, he reached out to read the child's fears only to be met with nothing. He tried other emotions, but there was nothing but a dark cold feeling and Pitch was no stranger to this feeling; the child was dead. He looked down at Jack, the winter spirit seemed so afraid of anyone finding out what he'd done. So afraid of being rejected by the Guardians, by even Pitch.

"No Jack, I would never do that." He said softly, hugging Jack to him. Jack closed his eyes, leaning against the warmth that Pitch offered, he was always warm. Unlike any other beings he'd ever met, even among spirits, Pitch never seemed to cool at his touch, the opposite wasn't true though and thinking on this Jack flushed slightly. He hoped that the other spirit hadn't picked up on where his thoughts were likely going.

"I was going to wait until tomorrow, but I think you should come with me now." Jack blinked, his eyes had become normal and the frost was starting to fall off of him, although it didn't so much melt as just fall off like discarded skin.

"I think we will need to talk, but it can wait." Jack nodded a little, he would have had to tell Pitch eventually... Before he could think to finish the thought, Pitch had whisked them into the shadows, Jack found traveling through the shadows disorienting. When the world stopped spinning when they came out, Jack still swayed slightly, but Pitch kept a firm grip on him to keep him from falling. Jack blinked when he saw the victorian home before him, he had no idea where they were. A swing on the porch swayed gently with the breeze, it wasn't as cold as the North Pole, but it was cool enough that Jack didn't feel uncomfortable. On the second story was a wide balcony, two chairs were set off to one side that he could see and beyond that was a pair of glass doors that led to the room beyond.

"Where are we?" Jack asked, the home was painted a deep navy blue on the outside, the windows were bordered with white. Soft white curtains beyond them kept him from fully peeking into the house and he found that he was rather charmed by the place.

"Kostroma, over the years the Nightmare King had several homes on the surface for various purposes. This one I made my own some time ago. Come." He started up the steps and went inside, holding the door open for Jack who floated into the door, child-like wonder on his features as he entered to see a fireplace in the main room, currently unlit but ready for use. On the mantle was a soft white cloth, on it were some antiques; a clock that looked like it shouldn't be running in this day and age was surrounded by delicate painted horses of varying colors. Before the fireplace was a love seat, there was also a rug that had rich blues etched into patterns along with gold, silver and red on a black background. There were two chairs off to one side, framed by oak bookcases that held a variety of titles, some ancient and some more recent. To his left was a staircase next to a doorway, Jack could see that the doorway led to a small kitchen and had no interest in it, but he did wonder what was up stairs. Curiously, he began floating in that direction, unaware that Pitch was watching him closely, though he was aware that Pitch followed him on the stairs to the second floor. The banister for the staircase, Jack realized, had been carved with curling and swirling patterns; he found it quite enchanting. He also noticed that the doors had various carvings as well. Mostly just patterns, two of the rooms on his right were just guest rooms, only one of which actually contained a bed that was draped in blue and white sheets. The other had been made into a study, an oak desk dominated the middle of the room bookcases all along the walls were crammed with books. On the desk itself a bottle of ink and a quill lay ready for use. Jack could already imagine coming in to this room to watch Pitch work or perhaps tease him into leaving work behind for a little bit of fun. Jack floated out of the study to find himself faced with the largest room yet; the only room he had yet to go into. The patterns on the wood of this door caught his eye because they were unlike any of the others. It looked a lot like swirls of Sandy's dreamsand curling about snowflakes. The snowflakes had been delicately painted a soft blue white, but that was the only thing painted on the door itself though the "sand" swirls seemed to have been coated with polish, giving them a darker and shinier appearance that made it stand out. Jack hesitated, tracing the design in pure wonder. Why would this be on the door? He glanced back questioningly at Pitch, but the other didn't reply, simply watching. Jack sighed a little when he realized Pitch wasn't going to give him an answer yet, if at all, and turned to open the door. The room was simple, but elegant. The doors to the balcony he'd seen outside were to the far right, a couple of bookcases filled with books were sitting a few feet from the balcony doors. Though it struck Jack as odd that none of the books seemed to have any sort of title on their binding and he just chalked it up to the books being so old that they didn't have titles on the side.

On the far left hung a beautiful tapestry of a winter scene. Jack floated over to it immediately, he didn't touch it, but he closely inspected the scene that depicted a town in winter, cheerful adults waving to each other as they went about their lives while children happily built snowmen, threw snowballs or were skating on a nearby lake. Jack had no idea how old this tapestry had to be, but it was beautiful and he couldn't help the wonder that shone in his eyes as he looked at it a long time before turning from it to see that there was a wooden wardrobe nestled in the corner of the room. A large persian rug, which Jack instantly recognized, was laid out in the middle of the room just before a massive oak bed. The bed itself was a work of art, patterns etched in great detail along the canopy columns, some of the etchings were random patterns, but here and there he saw butterflies and snowflakes etched between the patterns. The silk sheets on the bed were a deep green and blue. The pillows themselves were black. After a moment of staring, Jack landed lightly on the wooden floor, a little surprised at first to find that the floor wasn't as cold as it likely should have been, of course like all the other rooms there was a fireplace in this one too as a means of heating the room during the coldest of weather. After a moment of studying the bed for a long moment, he moved to the side to touch the silk, as if curious about it before slowly turning to Pitch.

"This is... incredible... but... why bring me here?"

"Because I want this place to be ours." Jack would have fell to the floor if he hadn't landed earlier, shock rushing through him replaced by a sudden surge of hope.

"Ours?" He barely dared whisper the word. Pitch laced his fingers with one of Jack's hands.

"Yes. I know you don't normally stay in one place a lot of the time, but I wanted this to be a place you could call home. A place where we can be together." Jack didn't know what to say. He had only dared hoped to one day find a place, but Pitch had done all this... A smile split his features, though he was hardly aware of it; Pitch smiled back, his heart warming at the sight. It was such a rare thing nowadays to see Jack smile and to see the pure pleasure in the winter spirit's eyes made his heart warm.

"I... don't know what to say." Jack finally admitted.

"Just say you'll stay here with me, if only sometimes." Pitch replied after a moment.

"Of course I will." Jack replied as he moved forward, he wrapped his arms around Pitch, hugging him tightly. He was so happy that he didn't feel any inkling of a ghost of fear as Pitch returned the embrace.


	19. For the Want of More

Pitch said nothing, but he felt content, even a little happy because he knew that this was a small sign that Jack was getting better. Perhaps soon the nightmares that plagued the young boy would be no more and of course none of the nightmares were due to Pitch's Nightmares. Though he still sent them out every evening to spread a little fear, it was no where near what he had commanded of them the year that Jack had become a Guardian. That it never would be again was something he would never admit to. As Jack lay his head against Pitch, he couldn't help be reminded of what Pitch had said about this place once being a home to the Nightmare King. That led to remembering what had happened to him, fear spiked through him suddenly, remembering that moment would likely always do so; Pitch's arms tightened slightly.

"Are they really gone? The Shadows?"

"Yes. No more of them exist."

"How can you be sure?" Pitch nearly sighed at the uncertainty he heard in the question.

"The Shadows that overtook me were the last of their kind. You and the other Guardians destroyed a good deal of them, those that were torn from me were the very last. I didn't have the strength to make more of them until recently, but by then I had no intention of doing so and shortly after that they were taken from me." Pitch buried his head against Jack's shoulder, Jack held him all the closer; knowing that Pitch still blamed himself for what had happened. At one point, Jack had as well, but he knew better.

"Hey, it's okay." He gently threaded one of his hands into Pitch's hair in a soothing gesture, not unlike the one he wished Pitch could do; the one that monster had ruined.

"It's not your fault. I know it as much as you." Pitch said nothing, but he seemed to relax after a moment. After a moment, Jack pulled back to look at Pitch.

"I want... more." Pitch took a deep breath, but Jack continued before he could speak.

"I can't be around you and not remember what once was or not want it. I want _more_ , and I don't care if it's too soon. I don't care if I'm not ready. I still want it, I still miss it; I miss everything that we'd had." Jack had no idea what he was asking for, but at the same time he couldn't care less, his heart racing like a rabbit at the look that Pitch was giving him at that moment.

"What do you want?" He asked softly, Jack felt his breath hitch.

"Everything... which I obviously can't do." He said, a little shakily.

"Not everything," Pitch agreed. "but maybe _something._ " His lips curling a knowing smirk that sent tiny chills of pleasure racing through Jack.

"Um..." It was all Jack said when he felt Pitch's hands slide around his waist at the hem of his sweatshirt. Pitch seemed amused as he met Jack's gaze.

"Flustered? You don't seem terrified." Jack could only nod in agreement before saying suddenly.

"I... don't want you to see them." Pitch frowned a little at this, but only for a moment before his eyes lit up as an idea seemed to occur to him.

"This calls for some innovation then." He pulled away from Jack who shifted a little, wondering what it was Pitch was thinking as he saw him rummaging in a drawer in the wardrobe. When Pitch turned back he had a long strip of black cloth in his hands. He seemed to look at it for a moment, as if coming to some sort of a decision before he moved back over to Jack and knelt before him, the cloth in hand.

"Um... what are you doing?" Pitch wrapped the cloth around his eyes, securing it.

"I cannot see them, but perhaps you would let me touch." Jack's eyes grew wide as he realized what Pitch meant. After a moment he nodded a little, sliding one hand through Pitch's hair, feeling a bit more confident when he leaned into Jack's hand.

"Okay, yeah... this could be good." Jack murmured after a moment. Pitch slid his hands along Jack's legs back to his hips, he didn't slip his hands beneath the sweatshirt, pausing.

"Would you take it off?" Jack hesitated a moment before pulling the material over his head and dropping it next to the bed. He didn't want Pitch to touch his scars, he even refused to look at them himself, but he realized that he needed this. Even if it could go very badly, he needed to take this step if he wanted to be close to Pitch again; how could they ever regain that if he didn't take risks? It was such a small one anyway, just another step, he told himself.

"Your fears are steel and royal blue, did you know?" Pitch said softly, Jack wondered for a moment if all fears came in colors, he hadn't really asked Pitch about that.

"They're deepening, it's like watching the night sky before a storm. I can see that this is difficult for you." Jack swallowed, Pitch's hands lightly slid along the top of his hipbones, stroking his skin and igniting tiny flames; Jack nearly jumped, but he settled at the sound of Pitch's gentle murmurings of assurance. He closed his eyes as he let out a nervous breath, but he didn't move as Pitch's fingers slowly slid along his skin. Pitch seemed to freeze for a moment when his fingers met the scar tissue where Cahal had taken a bite out of him. It was the worst scar, it hadn't healed well thanks to the natural poisons that had been in the water spirit's bite. Even with care, it hadn't healed as well as it could have. Jack let out a shuddered breath as Pitch's hands continued upward, delicately tracing the scar. As much as Jack didn't want Pitch to know, he couldn't pull himself away either.

"Let me take the blindfold off."

" _Don't._ " Jack's fear spiked and Pitch said nothing for a moment as he traced the scar.

"This is bad. It's worse than I-"

"Don't." Jack said again, his voice shaking and Pitch said nothing more though his brow creased in concern. A little pressure from Pitch's hands encouraged him to turn and Pitch slid his hands along his back, the touch still as light and gentle as before as he traced the scar around to his back.

"This did not heal well. None of this did."

"No, there was poison in it." He couldn't bring himself to say the word "bite" but he knew he didn't need to.

"This is... huge." Pitch murmured as he finished tracing the scar. He shifted to slide his hands along the rest of Jack's torso, the skin unmarked and smooth. Jack jolted away though when Pitch's right hand skimmed near the scar that Cahal had left from biting him while in human form. His body reminding him of the pain and the verbal taunts.

"It's okay Jack, it's okay." Pitch murmured gently.

"Guess I don't really like that one." Jack said, shaking a little as if from the cold, but how could a winter spirit still feel cold?

"I can tell." It was all Pitch said, his hands resting at his side where he knelt. He hadn't moved, hadn't tried to follow Jack when he'd taken a step back.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"We don't have to." Jack felt a little better, he moved back over to Pitch and reached down to take one of Pitch's hands in his; Pitch slid his fingers between Jack's. He swallowed, still nervous, he guided the hand to rest below the bite on his shoulder. Pitch took a deep breath before touching the scar, as if knowing where it was. Jack gritted teeth despite how delicate and light the touch was, Pitch traced it, learning its shape; never once putting any real pressure to it. When a sound of protest rose in Jack's throat Pitch's hand slid from the scar to his shoulder and down his arm gently. Jack closed his eyes, the feel of Pitch's hands was so familiar; his fears forgotten as small shivers of pleasure followed the touch.

The fear he'd felt, the nervousness of his own boldness, didn't fade however.

"Are you... okay?" He asked after a moment, recalling what Pitch had said about his fear giving him headaches.

"It's considerably more fear than I'm used to, but yes." His voice was husky from the pleasure still.

"Are you okay?" He shifted to meet Jack's eyes as he waited for an answer. Jack thought about that a moment, weighing what he felt and what he'd thought he'd felt, the two were more different than he'd expected. He shifted so that he was on the bed properly and Pitch could crawl onto it with him, he kicked his pants off his ankles to get more comfortable as he lay next to Pitch, hardly feeling self-conscious.

"I want to get better. I want things to be easier, I want you to be able to put your hand through my hair." He said after a long moment of silence.

"It's getting easier and you are getting better." Pitch replied as he lay one arm across Jack, pulling him close possessively.

"It was never easy though, was it? Right from the beginning I was afraid." Pitch nodded.

"Yes, you were afraid even then." Jack sighed inwardly, it bothered him that even if he continued to corrode the grip Cahal's actions had on him, there was an older more ancient fear within that would hamper their relationship.

"I want things to be easier, I know it might sound stupid, but I just don't want to feel like this all the time. To have this fear. I guess you find that odd, considering that is your center."

"Not at all. I want it as well." Jack didn't find the answer unusual only because he began to wonder if that really was true. Bunny had said that centers could change, was it possible that Pitch's had changed, like his? If that were true, then what would his new center be? Jack still didn't know what his own was changing to.

"You said no humans can come here, but what about the other Guardians?"

"I imagine that they could, but I doubt they would know of this place, or if they do they don't concern themselves with it. That reminds me, I have something of yours." Jack raised an eyebrow at him until Pitch withdrew the ornament communicator from his robes.

"Ah... I'd forgotten about that."

"It fell with the scarf. I almost didn't notice it."

"Ah... well North wanted me to be able to contact them in case of an emergency or if something was up but wasn't a call for the emergency lights." Jack said, taking the ornament and turning it over in his hands a moment before setting it beneath the pillow he lay on. Jack was content to just lay there forever, the scent of Pitch and what they'd done was still saturating the nearby air and it grounded him; made him feel like he was a part of something important. It was a nice reminder of what they had. What Jack had never thought he would find, ever. He was no innocent, he'd seen what adults did in the dark of their bedroom, though he hadn't done it more than once. It was when he'd still been naive and hadn't know what sex was. Afterwards doing that made him feel like he was disturbing their privacy and so he'd refrained from peeking into bedrooms of adults after that. Jack knew that eventually he would have to go back to the Workshop, but for now he didn't care; he just wanted to stay here with Pitch, in the house that held his lover's heart and where he would stay himself. This house would be their home, something he didn't need or intend to share with anyone else. Jack had drifted to sleep for a while, for once forgetting to squeeze the snowflake but no nightmares came to haunt him. When he awoke he found that Pitch was watching him.

"Jack."

"Hrmmm?" Came the sleepy response.

"You do realize you took off my blindfold, don't you?" Jack stiffened, his eyes going wide as he realized Pitch was right.

"I... forgot." He murmured, but he didn't feel like he thought he'd might. In fact, he felt the tension slowly fade and he relaxed again.

"I suppose you were ready for more than you thought."

"Huh... guess I am getting better." He said, the instant fear fading with the tension. It was pointless to cover up the scars now.

"I forgot myself honestly. I had other things to pay attention to at the time." Jack couldn't stop the smile that tugged at his lips as he flushed.

"Yeah... there was that." Pitch slipped his fingers between Jack's, he looked down at their entwined hands as Pitch gently squeezed. He squeezed back, hope fluttering inside his heart, maybe they could have what they'd once had, again.

"We should probably go back." Jack said, though he was reluctant to move. Pitch only nodded.


	20. Friendship & the Strength of True Belief

Jack stood on his pond, why he'd always come back to the place where he'd died he was never sure. Before the other day he'd really had no place to call home like North or Tooth did, even Bunny had his warren and Sandy had his sand home, though Jack had never actually seen Sandy's home he knew there was one. Now here he was back at this pond, even thought Pitch had said Kostroma would be theirs. He closed his eyes, remembering the time he'd emerged from the ice. Pitch was sitting on the shore, patiently waiting for him to do whatever he'd come here to do. He had thickened the ice to make sure that it didn't melt in the warm weather. He looked over at Pitch as he moved towards him. It had been dark when he'd been reborn beneath the full moon, had Pitch...?

"Pitch?"

"Hmmm?"

"That night I was reborn... you were there, weren't you?" Pitch seemed startled by the question, but he slowly nodded.

"Before your death, you and I talked. I wouldn't have called us friends, but you were the only child who could see me and yet who didn't fear me. It intrigued me to no end. Had I been nearby that day, I would have saved you from the ice, but then again... we wouldn't be here now if that had happened." Jack nodded.

"Why would you have saved me then?" Pitch seemed pensive then before answering.

"You were growing on me. Even then I suppose I was getting used to having someone for company, something I hadn't ever had before you since crashing on this planet. When I was able to return, it was too late. I kept you company those few days, as you lay beneath the ice." Jack felt his heart ache pleasantly at the thought that Pitch had kept him company. He knew that the other spirit hadn't needed to do that.

"Of course not long after that the Man in the Moon decided to return you to life, but you had been dead so long that your memories had been all but destroyed. You remembered nothing from before your rebirth and did not know me." Jack nodded thoughtfully, vaguely recalling that he had met up with Pitch during his first 100 years, that Pitch had seemed cold to him and distant. Not to mention nasty, but now Jack didn't wonder if maybe Pitch had seemed mean only because he was hurting because Jack had not known who he was. He floated over to Pitch.

"I remember now. That's all that matters. You can't get rid of me now." A knowing smirk creeping onto his features.

"Cheeky brat." Pitch replied, but there was a small smile on his face.

"We should probably head back to the pole now."

"We? What reason would I have for going back there. They barely tolerate me because of you." Jack shrugged.

"They seemed to start to like you last time we were there. Besides, they aren't really that bad." Pitch raised an eyebrow at that.

"Just give 'em a chance." Pitch shook his head a little, but he knew he wasn't likely to win this one.

"Fine, but we're doing this my way." Jack blinked as Pitch enveloped him into an embrace and before he could think to protest they were traveling through the shadows and arrived at the workshop before Jack's fear could sputter to life. They landed in Pitch's room, the noise of the workshop reaching them despite the fact that the door was closed. It was never not noisy in the workshop, well, except for the few hours when everyone slept, but that was a short lived peace really. Pitch released Jack before his fears could surface, the abruptness of it left Jack feeling both relieved that his fears of being touched hadn't resurfaced and disappointed that it had ended so quickly. He'd never admitted it aloud, but Pitch's embrace had always brought him a sense of safety he'd never felt nor could remember ever feeling when he'd been alive. They stood for a moment in silence, the sounds of the workshop muffled, but Jack could only wonder how he'd been dragged into the war in the first place. He'd only gone with Pitch to that one battle to save the children from that monster's clutches... he had never expected anything to turn out the way it had. Truth be told, he'd never fought in any war before; he was over 300 years old and yet he'd spent his time avoiding the ridiculous wars that humans had gotten themselves into. It wasn't because he was scared of dying or anything like that, but because he'd not really understood the wars. He'd been scared that if he'd taken part that he would choose the wrong side, so he'd simply fled to the South Pole until he could be certain that whatever war it was had come to an end. He'd been lonely, but being forced into hiding had only compounded his loneliness since he couldn't go to play with children. He felt a shudder go through him, war also reminded him of the job he'd been given before he'd been a Guardian.

"Jack." The soft word made him turn to look at Pitch. He gave the other a sad smile.

"Sorry, just was reminded of what I have to do." Pitch nodded a little.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Jack said nothing, but he sat down on the bed. He didn't look at Pitch for the longest time. No, he didn't want to talk about this, but it was a part of him. Just like the darkness that was in Pitch would always be a part of him.

"I can't say for sure when it started. I only remember it happening. I remember coming upon the little girl, she was so young... but then again they are always young. She was barely fifteen at the most. I didn't know what it was she went through exactly, and I wouldn't figure it out until many years later, but seeing her so beat up... like she was a piece of meat being tenderized before cooking... She was sitting at the edge of the river, half in, half out when she saw me. She was the first to see me. Her voice was so gentle... I felt so bad, but when she asked me if I would stay with her until the end... I couldn't deny her request." Jack drew a shaky breath, it hurt to remember.

"I don't think that anyone saw me with her, but someone must have heard her talking to me or perhaps saw the frost flower I'd left with her because after she died... I heard rumors in the village. I was called Saint Frost, it was the first time I had any believers, but they weren't the kind I wanted. Before I knew it, I could hear them calling to me. Asking me to be with them, to lead them into the next life..." Jack felt a shudder go through him.

"I didn't want to do it, but they were so kind to me... They believed in me when no one else did. They were always so happy to see me too." Jack felt tears well up in his eyes, his throat seeming to close, not allowing him to speak. Pitch said nothing, simply sat next to him and drew him into his embrace. Jack leaned against him as the tears fell freely, silently down his cheeks only to freeze before falling. It seemed like forever before his tears finally ceased. Jack felt a little better for it, as if some of the burden he'd carried with him all this time had been taken from him even if he knew it really hadn't. Keeping that part of himself secret, even from the Guardians had become such a burden even though he'd been fortunate enough to not be called when he'd been around any of them. The last child he had to visit... she'd come with an exploration party, she'd deliberately separated herself from them for that purpose. That she'd made it as far as she had was something that had amazed Jack at the time he'd been called.

"I don't know how so many children know me by that, but everyone has a different name for me." He said quietly, not trusting his voice to be louder.

"Everything from Brother Frost to The Saint of Suicide... I... I don't want any part of this, but... I can't refuse them."

"Have you tried?" Pitch asked gently after a moment. Jack nodded.

"I've tried saving them too, sometimes I can, but most times by the time they are calling out to me they are too far gone. I can see it in their eyes, the light of childhood is just gone and all they want is peace."

"Why leave flowers?" Pitch asked, trying to steer the conversation into something that might be less painful.

"In memory of what they lost. I'd seen it done at graves several times before my first..." He shrugged a little.

"It just seemed right to leave something for them. Something beautiful so that whoever find them would know what the world had just lost." Pitch nodded slightly, he could understand that.

"You haven't told them, have you? The Guardians." Jack shook his head.

"I didn't want to... I don't think they could ever understand. It goes against everything that a Guardian is meant to be."

"I wouldn't say that." Surprised, Jack pulled back to look at Pitch who was frowning slightly.

"Just because it is not what is expected, doesn't mean you aren't protecting them. Jack, what you do protects them from further harm. You said so yourself that they want peace and happiness that they cannot find in life."

"I... never thought of it like that."

"That doesn't surprise me. Jack, I've seen the sort of things children suffer through at times. It is far worse than the Nightmares I create. Even a Fearling wouldn't invoke the sort of fear and suffering that children sometimes go through from those who are supposed to care for them, but who don't. The humans can be crueler and more unforgiving." Jack couldn't argue there, even being possessed by the Shadows paled in comparison to some of the things he'd seen children he'd sent on to the next life suffer through.

"I still don't know that I should tell them."

"You can't hide this forever, Jack. They need to know, even if they don't understand, which I think they might surprise you. I believe Sanderson would be the most understanding, considering he deals in dreams and is about as old as I am." Jack nodded a little, he knew the Guardian of Dreams wouldn't judge him.

"I guess so..."

"Jack, there is going to come a time when they find out. Whether or not you tell them." Jack sighed, he knew he'd been lucky so far to not be called while in the presence of the others, but he also knew that Pitch was right. Even if he said nothing there was bound to be a time when he'd be near one of them and he'd be called. It was inevitable.

"Alright. I'll tell them."

"I'll be here with you Jack. I promise." Jack smiled a little, feeling a bit better that he didn't have to do this on his own. He felt that if Pitch was there, he could do anything. He stood up and headed for the door, Pitch was right behind him.

It was some time before they managed to locate North, who was inspecting a new toy's design and colors before approving it. It was a plush unicorn, a girl's toy, but North had a keen eye for details and missed nothing. It was because of that ability that when he turned to Jack his expression became one of concern.

"Jack, what is being wrong?"

"There's something I need to tell you and the others. Can you call them here?"

"But of course!" North pulled out the ornament communicator, his being red, and soon enough Jack and Pitch were in the meeting room with North, sipping hot coco and enjoying cookies while waiting for the other Guardians.

"Been busy here Jack, I have not seen you in days. Is good you have returned." Jack smiled a little around a peppermint cookie. It had only really been less than two days, but the Guardian of Wonder was known for dramatics. It was one of the reasons he enjoyed North's company, but it was also the reason that Jack hadn't really confided in him as he did sometimes tend to overreact to things. Tooth was the first one to show up in the meeting room, followed by Bunnymund and Sandy.

"It's good to see you again Jack." Tooth said, she looked like she wanted to hug him, but she refrained from it. Jack smiled and decided that he would take the risk, he walked up to her, surprising her by hugging her. She was beaming when he let go.

"Sandy's dreams have been helping." He said as a way of explaining and she couldn't help but smile.

"That's great news! But Jack... that isn't why you wanted us here is it?" Jack shook his head.

"Got to be right important to want us all here at once mate." Bunny said and Jack nodded, Bunny had seemed to assess the situation quickly before he'd snagged a chocolate chip cookie for himself. Tooth had picked up an oatmeal cookie while Sandy was just content to down several glasses of eggnog that a yeti had brought into the room.

"Well, I thought it was." Jack glanced over to Pitch who was idly munching on a cinnamon cookie. He gave Jack a slight nod of his head and Jack turned back to the group.

"I've been keeping something secret. Something you should probably know." He hesitated then, he could tell he had their attention. A question mark appeared over Sandy's head.

"We know we know little of you Jack. We are all grateful for what you share of yourself with us." Tooth nodded in agreement with North.

"It can't be easy mate, but we're here for ya." Jack felt only a small bit of reassurance.

"No, it's not easy. It's not easy for me to do let alone talk about." No one else said anything, they were waiting.

"I know you've all been around for a while, so I'm not sure if you've heard or not, but does the name Saint of Suicide mean anything to you?" He winced slightly at the title.

"I have been hearing of this, yes." Tooth shook her head in denial.

"Can't say I have either mate." Bunnymund admitted, when Jack turned his eyes to Sandy he found that the gold Guardian was nodding. Okay, so maybe North and Sandy already knew, but did they know it was him?

"Well... to clarify, the Saint of Suicide ... kills children." Bunny stiffened, Tooth's eyes widened a little.

"This I know well." North admitted, Sandy nodded in agreement. The symbols above his head moved too rapidly for Jack to understand and he looked to North for translation.

"Sandy be saying that he knows well the legend and of other names of this person. That he has seen glimpses of this figure, but not clearly." Jack nodded thoughtfully, he had always surrounded himself in a blinding blizzard when he did his work because he didn't want anyone to know it was him.

"That person... it's me." Jack sat down in the chair he'd vacated earlier to hug Tooth who he didn't risk looking at now. She was hovering next to him, he didn't look at any of the other Guardians; fear and pain surged through him, the feeling of Pitch's hand on his, their fingers entwining, gave him a bit of courage and he looked to see what his friend's reactions were.

North had sat back in his chair, there was no surprise on his face, but rather the other's expression was one Jack couldn't read. Sandy seemed just sad, but he also floated over to Jack to lay his hand on his shoulder. The golden man seemed to understand, as Pitch had said he would, but there was some empathy in his gaze as well.

"Thanks Sandy." Jack murmured, the other Guardian gave him a sad smile before floating off to grab another goblet of eggnog. Jack glanced over to Bunny then, who was leaning against the wall. Bunny's eyes were narrowed at him, as if he expected Jack to leap up and attack him, but it wasn't so much hate as disbelief he was seeing in the rabbit's green eyes. After a moment's hesitation to turned to Tooth, she wasn't as surprised or outraged as he thought she might be, in fact, she seemed to share Sandy's empathy.

"Jack... I... I'm so sorry..." Jack just gave her a sad smile.

"Is difficult thing you do Jack, but does not change the fact that you are Guardian." Jack felt the tension he hadn't realized he'd had begin to leave him. It was such a relief.

"I'll say mate. I can say I wouldn't 'ave expected that of you, considerin' how you always are with the ankle-biters." Jack nodded a little.

"I guess you could say that they were the first ones to believe in me, the first ones to see me. They aren't the kind of believers I want though."

"No one faults you for that. I wouldn't want that kind of job meself." Bunny seemed to hesitate a moment before he went on.

" 'Fore I forget. Have you figured it out yet? Your center I mean." Pitch blinked a little in surprise, as did the others.

"Your center has changed?" Pitch asked. Jack nodded a little.

"Since I came back... I haven't been able to be myself, I haven't been able to muster up as much fun as I used to. It has taken me a while to figure it out, because while fun did balance my other job it... just doesn't fit anymore. It doesn't allow me to really be able to do what needs to be done."

"I'm surprised you ain't noticed." Bunny said, looking pointedly at Pitch who shrugged a little.

"I've been too preoccupied with other matters to notice I suppose."

"So what is your center now then?" Tooth asked.

"Yeah, tell us mate." Jack smiled a bit at his friends.

"Freedom. I needed to be able to express myself fully, while fun was great, it wasn't what I'd needed when I was held captive. It isn't what I need now, to fully heal, but it's still there when I want it."

"Yours ain't the only one that's changed mate." Bunny said after a moment, Jack turned to the rabbit, curious.

"Oh blimey... are you both blind?" Jack blinked before he realized what Bunny meant and turned to look at Pitch who looked thoughtful a moment before nodding.

"I was aware of the change, but at the time it seemed insignificant in comparison to what was happening."

"Wait, so your center changed too? When?" Tooth asked.

"Hard to say exactly when, but I believe it was some time after Jack had returned the first time. I believe I had the help of a certain young boy in that." Jack grinned a little, aware that Pitch was talking about Jamie.

"So, what has yours become then?" Tooth asked even as a question mark appeared above Sandy's head.

"The opposite of fear, Courage." Pitch replied. There was silence in the room, but it wasn't an awkward one or one of those oppressing silences. It was more of a silence of quiet contemplation among friends. Jack just smiled at Pitch who returned it with a small smile of his own. Time after that moment seemed to rush past, things had seemed to return to normal so quickly, but Jack knew things were anything but. Even with his newfound center and learning that Pitch's center had also changed... things still weren't right. There were still times when he feared the flashbacks, when the others couldn't hug him because of it and he felt so guilty over it, even though they'd reassured him time and again that it wasn't his fault, that it wasn't a big deal. Even thought he'd told Pitch he'd stay at Kostroma, and Pitch returned there every night after discussing whatever it was he did with North, Jack didn't return there himself. It wasn't that he didn't want to, but more that he felt it wasn't right that he should; at least not yet. Not that he'd slept anyways, like most immortals, sleep wasn't required regularly. Usually once a month or so was good enough to keep him going and Jack had kept himself busy by checking his pond to make sure it stayed frozen, visiting Jamie and his friends briefly, sending a breeze to help them cool off in the summer's heat and of course going about his work in the southern parts of the world that needed him to maintain the snow and frost. As much as Jack knew that he had things to sort out, he really wasn't letting himself have too much time to think about it because he was so sure that if he did that he would simply break down from the pressure of it all. There were so many things that he had done while possessed that he couldn't take back, he couldn't simply restore the lives that had been destroyed and while a part of him had liked the world to be a snowy playground he had detested the Shadows for using his powers to kill, to injure the unwary and cause a malicious form of his mischief to be spoken in hushed tones. It had been weeks since he'd turned the entire world into a giant snowball and there were places that were still suffering, but at least water wasn't an issue anymore. All of the melted snow was pure enough that people were making snow cones and other frozen treats out of what little wasn't melted, stepped on or otherwise tainted by something. It had lifted his heart to see that, the deserts were the quickest to recover in terms of melting ice; animals and plants alike had taken advantage of the large quantities of water for the few days that it had lasted before going on with their lives. Despite the devastation that the Shadows had forced him to cause, plants still survived, crops were re-planted and human lives began to show something of normality. The adults were perfectly baffled by what they called "freak weather" that had occurred all over the globe. Not even the smartest of scientists could explain it, but he hadn't worried about the adults so much as the children. He'd felt wave after wave of relief to find that his believers all around the world still believed in him and they happily waved whenever they saw him instead of cringing in fear as he had been afraid that they might. Curious about this, he thought it was perhaps time to pay Jamie another visit, maybe the boy could help shed some light on this.

Jack wasn't surprised to find that the boy's window was propped open, allowing any breeze that might come by into his room. He grinned a little and perched on the windowsill, it _was_ pretty hot out. An uncomfortable 92 degrees for Jack, apparently even Jamie didn't like it this hot and that just made him smile. He didn't want to intrude since it seemed like Jamie was intently reading something on his computer, so instead he simply announced his presence by dropping the temperature to a cool 60. It made the boy shiver, though that wasn't surprising seeing as how Jamie was in a short sleeved T-shirt and shorts. Jamie instantly spun around and grinned.

"Jack!"

"Hey kiddo! Nice day isn't it?" Jamie laughed a little and Jack stepped down into the room, he closed the window behind him to keep the cool air from escaping. Not that it would if he kept his focus on it, but he had come here for a reason and didn't want to concentrate too hard on keeping the room cool.

"Right. What brings you here? Isn't it early yet for snow?"

"Yeah, I just thought I'd drop by and see how you were getting on."

"Aren't you kind of busy in the south?" Jack shrugged.

"As long as the snow doesn't melt too early or anything it's okay. Not like I need to be there all the time to make sure of that."

"Awesome, I still can't wait for the first snow." It made Jack's heart warm to hear it, even though he knew that most people didn't like the cold. Jamie and his friends loved the snow almost as much as he did and it made him feel welcome here more than anywhere else.

"Is something on your mind?" Jamie asked suddenly. Jack wasn't sure what made the boy ask, but he hopped up on the edge of the bed post, balancing himself there easily, his staff not quite touching the floor.

"Actually, I was thinking that maybe you could answer something for me."

"Sure." Jack looked at the boy for a moment, wondering if he really would have the answer, or any answer at all.

"I've been around, you know, checking on things to see what ... what damage was caused. I've noticed that no one seems to be afraid of me, even after all that happened... all those lives lost and the devastation..." For a moment, he dropped his gaze. He couldn't help but feel guilty for what had happened, it was this guilt that helped him to understand Pitch's way of thinking a bit more. Just as Jack felt guilt for Jakol's destruction, Pitch felt guilt over the things that the Nightmare King had wrought.

"Jack..." There was sympathy in the gentle tone.

Jack looked back at the young boy.

"It wasn't your fault. We all know that. No one blames you for what the Shadows made you do. After... after Pitch brought me back home again, I told everyone what happened. As best as I could anyway. Before the power went out, we'd managed to spread the word about what had happened to most of the countries. I told them about Pitch's promise too. I can't say for sure if anyone believed he's really changed, not like I do, but I know some were willing to try. I believed that he would keep the promise he made to me, that he would bring you back and he did." Jamie paused a moment, as if gathering his thoughts before continuing.

"I think everyone knows now that he kept his promise, they know you're back and we all believe in you. Some of us believe in Pitch now too." Jack wasn't sure what he felt stronger, shock at the boy's words or relief and gratitude towards his believers. He felt it so strongly, though, that he felt tears prick at the corners of his eyes.

"You don't know how much that means to me..." He jumped off the bedpost, landing light beside the boy and he wrapped his arms around him; hugging the boy fiercely. Jamie just hugged him back. Maybe the boy couldn't fully understand, but he felt that he was trying and that just made it all the more special to Jack.

"I hate to interrupt this touching moment, but perhaps I could steal Jack from you?" The soft voice made Jamie jump and nearly made Jack jump as well as he let go of the boy instantly. In the corner of the room was Pitch, waiting patiently. Jack couldn't help the small smile that tugged at his lips.

"Geez, you still trying to scare me?" Jamie asked with a bit of a laugh. Pitch just gave the boy a slight smile in return.

"It still is my job last I checked." Jamie shook his head at that.

"I don't know if I believe that, but yeah. I guess you can have Jack for a while."

"I appreciate you giving your permission." Pitch replied, the sarcasm wasn't lost on the boy who just grinned.

"I guess I should see what he wants, I promise to come by again before fall sometime and we can hang out some more."

"I'd like that. I'll see you later Jack." Jack had meant to open the window again to fly out, but before he could protest he found himself being dragged by Pitch into the shadows and they wrapped around the two of them even as Pitch enveloped him in a gentle embrace and the two were whisked away. Jack still wasn't used to the disorienting travel through the shadows and doubted he'd ever fully be used to it, but he found it got easier to shrug off the more he did it.

Shaking off the effects, Jack turned to Pitch to ask him what this was about only to feel dizzy as Pitch pulled him close for a heady kiss that made Jack feel like the world was spinning all over again. When Pitch broke the kiss, Jack felt a bit of protest rising in his throat though he didn't let it escape.

"What did you want to talk about?" He asked, still feeling a bit disoriented from the kiss, barely registering that they were back in Kostroma.

"Who said I wanted to talk?" Pitch asked, amusement shining in his eyes and Jack's retort fell from his lips as he realized Pitch hadn't mentioned anything about talking. He'd wanted to simply "steal" Jack away from his young friend, but that didn't meant he wanted to talk. In fact he had the distinct impression that the exact opposite was what Pitch had intended as he felt warm hands slid beneath his hoodie and a soft groan escaped.


	21. Home

Jack sat on the armrest as Pitch finished his exercises as he did every morning or evening now. Jack liked watching because it meant being near Pitch, it was calming in its own way. Jack wasn't sure whether it was because he was calm or because this was familiar or perhaps because in this place that was theirs he felt safe, but he spoke in a soft voice.

"Can I tell you about it?" Pitch's hand stilled a moment in cleaning off the quill. He knew what Jack meant and slowly nodded.

"I know you've gotten like snippets of it or something from my fear, but can you tell me what you know? I know you've picked things up. Like how I cannot do certain things with anyone else, like hugging for example." Pitch was silent a moment.

"Yes, I saw a snapshot of that, or at least that is the best way I can describe it. As far as knowing though, I only know that he ruined certain gestures but I do not know how he did it. I know that you are terrified of compulsions, that you have fears about being grabbed or bound by your wrists. I know you were bitten both when he was human and when he was in his horse form, but that is it." Jack flushed a little, feeling a bit embarrassed now that he'd heard it summed up, if not really in order of which it happened. It felt like nothing at all.

"That's pretty much it..." Pitch narrowed his eyes slightly.

"No matter how much you try to minimize it, the fact remains that it happened and you were vulnerable. Most especially because of your years of loneliness." Jack felt like curling up, but of course that wasn't possible on the arm rest. He'd have to be on the ground or the bed or something, but that meant moving away from Pitch and he didn't want to do that.

"Jack, will you... tell me?" Jack didn't say anything for a moment. Pitch was sure he wouldn't, but then Jack began to speak, his voice was soft, he was staring at the wall the desk faced.

"There was so much chaos in the battle, it wasn't hard to target the enemy though because they were everywhere. When I saw him, I don't know what came over me then but I wanted to end the battle. I'd seen so many who were on our side fall... I knew that if I took him out that it would be a decisive blow that would end it all. When I got close I saw his smile and I knew I'd made a mistake, but by then I was caught up in his Compulsion... He knocked me out with it. As if I were nothing. When I awoke I was bound, my staff was out of reach. I was bound by seaweed and then by Compulsion..." He swallowed, this was difficult, more difficult than anything he'd done before.

"I couldn't fight the Compulsion and he made fun of me for it. That other spirits, even humans could have fought back; that I was pathetic because I couldn't fight it at all. He then said I wasn't trying at all, but I _was_ , Pitch, I _was._ The way he said it made me wonder if..." He hesitated before going on.

"He made me undress after discharging my power, he bit me, taunted me about tasting my own blood." He shuddered, wrapping his arms around himself, but he continued on even as Pitch made a sound that was something like horror.

"Then he bit my side... and he _ate_ it... which has put me off a lot of things, I think. Anything that sounds remotely close to his chewing, actually. It bled a lot, he wanted me to to ice it. He seemed angry that I couldn't because I'd discharged all of my power... I had _nothing_ left." Jack felt his anger rising in him as he spat out the words. He surprised himself, he'd felt a lot of things over the incident, but never anger before let alone this much, but remembering Cahal's attitude towards him made an icy anger shift through him like the start of an avalanche that had yet to truly begin.

"That was around the time he decided to change tactics because he wasn't getting the rise out of me I think he wanted. He told me to get dressed, he wanted to know what the Guardians were planning. It was the only thing I could fight and I nearly bit my lip off fighting against it. I couldn't betray you like that, I just couldn't. I'm not sure how I managed it though and I wish I could have done the same for his other Compulsions, maybe then I could have gotten away."

"Maybe, but you have always put others before yourself." Pitch said, an observation only to be sure.

"It makes sense that you would be able to hold out on the behalf of someone else but not yourself. As sad as that makes me, I can't deny the evidence of it that I've seen over the years." Jack was silent a long while as he considered the words before turning to look at Pitch, he didn't feel anything but anger and a little queasy, but there were tears glistening in Pitch's eyes. He didn't think this would affect Pitch the way it was, but he couldn't deny what he saw. He wanted to reach out, to comfort him, but he didn't dare at the moment.

"He compelled me to tell him the things you did to comfort me, and they were _our_ things. You putting your hand through my hair, the reassurance of stroking my cheeks... Things that were only between us. Then the Nightmare appeared and he didn't really have all that much time with me, but I've never had the comfort you've offered me. Not ever, not even - and I'm pretty sure about this one - when I was human." Tears formed in his eyes, Jack blinked them back.

"After that I felt you pulling me away and that was the end of things. It really wasn't much."

"Wasn't it?" Pitch's tone was borderlining dangerously angry.

"Anything more and there might not have been anything left of you. To take a spirit who has never known such things, who has been on the edge because of something they have to do... to do _that_ to them..." Jack was silent a moment.

"I feel like I didn't say enough, like I didn't tell you much at all."

"You told me, perhaps, more than you realize. A story is always different upon retelling." Jack pressed one hand to his stomach, he felt a little ill and the fear that had been like a knife in him when he'd first began had faded. Whether it was the timing or where they were, he wasn't sure, maybe it was just Sandy's dreams that were beginning to help - even if he never remembered them - or he was just getting better without realizing it. Jack shifted to lay his head against Pitch, he felt better now that he'd said it, something he hadn't expected to feel once it was out. He felt that he was closer to Pitch, now that he'd spoken of that time, even if he hadn't told him about what he'd felt when the Shadows had taken over him though he knew that Pitch probably knew what that was like already. They'd almost lost everything when that nightmare had engulfed him and for a while Jack had convinced himself that they had, even after he'd been freed. Jack shifted to place himself into Pitch's lap, fumbling a little when he pressed his lips to Pitch's. The other lightly returned the kiss before pulling back, his hands resting at the edge of the hoodie; Jack seemed a little confused as he wound his arms around Pitch's neck.

"Why did you stop?" Pitch seemed to search his face for a moment, as if trying to find something. Jack had no idea what he was looking for as he stared back hungrily, hoping that Pitch would pick back up where he'd left off. Pitch's eyes widened a bit before he dragged Jack closer as he opened his mouth when his lips touched Jacks, his tongue flickering along the bottom lip and Jack opened to allow him inside.

"You should probably get some sleep." Pitch murmured as he fumbled with loosening the rope at Jack's wrists, allowing Jack to slip his hands from the rope.

"You're going to need it." With a mischievous smile, Jack wiggled his hips against Pitch's, causing them both to shudder out a breath.

"Maybe you're going to need to as well." Pitch captured Jack's mouth in response, kissing him until they were both breathless before rolling them both on their sides. Jack liked the way heat leaked into him from Pitch, he was beginning to associate the feeling with being safe, being home, being wanted. He'd come to learn that there were more ways than one to be seen, but he was sure that no one saw him the way Pitch did and no one else ever would.


	22. Garden of Ice

The first thing that Pitch noticed was the cold. Jack was colder than he remembered feeling before. He also noticed that Jack was moving from the bed to dress, Pitch opened his eyes; when he noticed that Jack seemed to be paler than normal. He sat up, alert now.

"Jack?" Jack turned at the sound of his voice and he noticed that Jack's eyes had become a more brilliant blue and suddenly he understood, as if the pain on his love's face wasn't enough to tell him. Without thought, he was out of the bed and dressed. Summoning a Nightmare as he saw Jack fly off the balcony, he wasn't about to let Jack do this on his own.

 _Brother Frost... I'm waiting... take me away to your land of enchantment, to the garden._

Jack shuddered, closing his eyes as the wind sent him soaring towards the child who called. The wind was not playful as it usually was, but held a calm soberness much like what he felt. Pitch spurred his Nightmare on to follow Jack, a determined expression on his face though he doubted that Jack knew he was following and so wouldn't see it. He had only seen this before, or part of it and Jack had told him about it. There was no doubt in the ex-shade's mind that this weighed heavily on the winter spirit's mind and heart. Jack felt tears streaming down his cheeks only to fall like tiny hail, having frozen not long after falling from his eyes. His heart clenching as he dove to a city he knew well. It wasn't far from Burgess and that just made this all the harder for him, that he would have to do something like this so close to those who believed so much in him now. He saw the open window and heard a song softly playing inside. It twisted him up inside, he knew this song.

"Hush now dear children it must be this, to weary of life and assumptions. Rest now my children for soon we'll away to the calm and the quiet." The voices that sang were achingly beautiful, but if Jack never again heard this song it would be too soon. Pitch caught up in time to hear the voices sing out notes, but no words and he winced. He was very familiar with this song. He had heard it many times over the centuries, but it had been a good long time since he had and those who played it... well, it never was good. Those who had dabbled in "magic" against "evil spirits" often enjoyed this song and even some young adults or adults who had darkness in their souls. He'd hated such only because they were frightfully hard to scare and so he tried to avoid them at all costs, but to hear this music coming from a tiny apartment and knowing that a child was inside... He felt something clench inside him. He didn't hesitate to dissipate the Nightmare as he slipped into the room. He saw frost on the window, he knew that he was in the right place. He then heard the voice of a young girl.

"You came... the legends are true. I'm happy to see you Brother Frost." Jack's voice was calm, but there was a slight hitch to it that Pitch was sure the girl wouldn't catch, but he noticed.

"Yes. I came for you. What is your name?"

"Abby." Pitch followed the voices into a bathroom, his eyes widened at the scene that met him. The girl was only ten at the most, she was laying against the bathtub, still fully dressed and Jack was kneeling next to her, his staff propped up against the wall by a sink. The bathroom had walls that were as pale as snow, the tiles were just as white. The girl's dark brown eyes were focused on Jack, she didn't seem to see him; her dark brown hair fell down her shoulders, straight. Pitch felt his heart seem to be squeezed painfully as what he assumed had once been a beautiful little girl was a girl who looked as if she had been beaten like a piece of meat. Her bruises were still fairly fresh, some of them were a deep purple while others were faded and had tinges of yellow around them. Pitch couldn't help but be reminded of his own daughter, whose fate he did not know, but it made his heart hurt to see this young child this way. There were cuts along the arm that lay on the side of the tub, some were scars, but there was a fresh one that was causing blood to pool along the tub and into her hand. Jack didn't seem to notice that his snowy skin was being coated by the dark liquid as he held the girl's hand. The water around the girl was also sated with blood from her other wrist, a razor blade that Pitch knew human adults used lay on the tile floor, splattered in the blood that he knew had come from the girl.

He wanted to speak, to reassure the girl and Jack, but his throat closed up. _My brave Jack._ He thought, unable to utter a single sound even if he wanted to, but Jack's voice was steady as he spoke.

"I'm going to make everything all better Abby. I promise." The temperature in the room immediately began to plummet and Pitch could see his breath. He knew that this, of course, was Jack's doing. The frost spirit was going to freeze the girl. He could only watch as the girl slowly closed eyes that had lost the spark of innocence, that lacked the light of hope, wonder, or dreams. A smile on her features, it made his heart sink as he realized it wasn't a smile of happiness or one of joy he'd often seen on children. It was the weary smile of a girl who had suffered far too much and was finally finding peace. Before he knew it, Pitch felt the hot, salty liquid of tears streaming down his face. He couldn't remember the last time he'd ever cried over someone, but here this little girl whom he'd not met until this night, who he had not gotten to know, was breaking his heart without even knowing who he was, without even knowing that he was there.

"Don't... leave... You'll stay... won't you?" Abby's plea tore at Pitch's heart more.

"Of course. I won't leave you. I will be here right up to the end. I promise."

"Thank you." The soft words were shaky and Pitch knew that soon it would be over. He watched as the girl's head lay back on the tub and she took one last shuddering breath before her chest ceased to rise. Jack had frozen her, but had not frozen the water. Pitch wordlessly watched as Jack cupped his hands, a frost flower forming and he gently tucked the flower into Abby's hair behind her ear before he stood, his hands clenched.

"Jack." Jack spun around, surprised at first, but then the pain took over. His shoulders began to shake as tears flowed freely from his eyes that were beginning to return to normal. Pitch took a single step forward, opening his arms and Jack didn't hesitate to throw himself against Pitch, openly sobbing out his frustration and sadness. The burden of what he had just done seeming to crash against him like a rogue wave against the shore, swallowing everything in its path.

"Oh Jack... you were so, so brave." Pitch murmured brokenly even as he held the trembling frost spirit to him tightly. Quietly crying against Jack, for what Jack had been forced to do and for the innocent light that had been snuffed out this day. Pitch now understood too well, too much why Jack did what he did. Now he was sure of the burden that Jack carried in his heart for so long; it wasn't just loneliness of the 300 years he'd spent unseen, unable to reach out to any of the children that he played with. It was the burden of a heavy heart, a heart that was splintered from the blood that was spilled on hands that never wanted to take it up.

Pitch understood that Jack had been through a lot, had understood the loneliness that Pitch himself had experienced since the Shadows had possessed him all those centuries ago, but he had assumed that the weight of innocent blood on his hands was something that no one else would ever understand. He had been wrong, just as he had been wrong about Jack that year ago in Antarctica. He had assumed that no one could understand the heavy burdens that had weighed down his spirit. No one who hadn't fought in a war, he had assumed, could understand his guilt about what he had done... even if he hadn't remembered doing it. The Shadows had sometimes only let him surface to see the blood covering his hands and staining the place where they had brought him or to see the birth of new Nightmare Men from the bodies of the men and women he had once called allies in arms, who had been golden warriors like himself. He had never had the guilt that he now knew that Jack carried, Jack's burden was heavier than his own, he realized, because while he may have slaughtered many the Shadows had been the ones to actually do the deeds. Jack didn't have that to fall back on, he had killed, willingly, taken life from innocents well aware of what he was using his power for and for his heart - a heart so pure and full of light - the burden was almost too much for him to live with. Pitch was sure that, if he could have, Jack would have taken his own life long ago rather than be forced to this time and time again. He knew that he needed to get Jack away from all this, that the boy would need the power of the snowflake, that rested around his neck, tonight more than ever. He needed the dreams the Sandman would provide to overcome this burden, one that the Guardians would never be able to fully understand or comprehend because it went against everything that they stood for.


	23. What Was Meant to Be

Two weeks had passed and while Jack kept up his duties and visited North, he spent a majority of his time at Kostroma. The pull of the house was like the same pull he remembered feeling when he visited his pond, which he did once or twice a week just to make sure it stayed frozen in the high temperatures that Burgess was experiencing this summer. He'd seen Jamie once or twice as well, cooling the boy off from the heat when he had, but he hadn't stayed too long for several reasons; only one of them being due to the heat. While Jack loved the house, he was aware that it was mostly Pitch's space, but he couldn't help but feel at home from the small touches that Pitch had added to the house to make it just as much his as it was Pitch's. There were simply no words for that, though Jack was about as nomadic as Pitch was, there was a deep sense of satisfaction in floating through the glass doors into the bedroom they shared. Every time Jack walked into the room he couldn't help but remember all that had happened in the room and it had always gave him the impression that he was home. When he'd asked, Pitch had begun to teach him the lunar alphabet, but it was complex and the pictographic wasn't easy to understand. It was an innovative alphabet in that it allowed for the continuous invention and addition of new pictograms. Jack scratch his head, staring at the pictographs that Pitch had been writing on a loose sheet for him.

"How do you remember all of these?" Pitch set the clean quill next to the corked bottle of ink.

"We weren't required to learn the personal pictographs of others, only the basics, unless there was reason to. Some of these, as I've shown you before, are my own personal creations." Jack nodded a little, he'd learned to recognize the basics at least by now.

"Sandman talks both in universal symbols and pictographs and he is easy enough to understand."

"Maybe for you, I've had trouble fully understanding him from the beginning, but I think I at least have a better understanding with your help." Jack was grateful that Pitch had kept his teachings short, as Jack really wasn't the kind of student who could focus for long, but the teachings had come frequently over the last two weeks, if only in short bursts and Jack had found that the complex language was starting to become easier to understand. When Jack's mind had drifted from the lesson at hand he'd often distracted Pitch by crawling into his lap or with kisses and touches; while anyone else might have considered it inappropriate, Pitch had welcomed the distractions. Jack had also learned in those weeks that Pitch was spontaneous at times, sneaking up on Jack to seduce him in various places and ways that always left Jack wanting more, normally ending with him quickly finishing whatever he was doing to return to Kostroma where he'd find Pitch waiting for him with a knowing expression. As it turned out, it was Pitch's style to do those sort of things, though if Jack became frightened, he'd back off. That was rare though and Jack discovered that he thoroughly enjoyed their games, there was a sense of play and fun in it that reminded Jack of his old center. His new center gave him freedom of choice, freedom to choose fun or to step back from it, to choose to step into Pitch's arms or to step back to have his space. It helped that Pitch didn't mind when Jack left, didn't seem bothered by it and never really spoke of it. Jack had spent two days resting in trees the first week, under the stars had given him time for him to sort through a few things on his own. It was a new feeling really to have a place to belong to, to have a home, a _real_ home. With little thought, he laced his fingers with Pitch's; enjoying the feeling of it as Pitch's fingers curled a little to hold his. His lips twitched slightly, after a moment he felt something shift in him and he took a deep, quiet breadth, lifting Pitch's hand slowly, to telegraph what he had in mind. Pitch didn't move, didn't resist; he simply looked at Jack. Jack placed Pitch's hand on his head, holding his breath at first, steeling himself for something that didn't come. No phantom touch, no flashback, no fear. Jack let out his breath slowly, hearing Pitch do the same, as if he could hardly believe it. Slowly, gently, he slid his fingers through Jack's hair and Jack pressed against his hand with a soft sigh; letting Pitch know wordlessly that he was okay. Pitch slid his fingers along Jack's scalp, Jack closed his eyes, humming in his throat in pleasure; he'd sorely missed this. Pitch let out a long breath in relief, shifting his hand back along Jack's head, lightly sliding his thumb along his skull just behind his. Jack leaned into the touch with a shiver, like a cat pushing its head against the hand that petted; he was sensitive to the touch, something he'd discovered only after being with Pitch.

He would have never believed a year ago that he would have friends, like he did among the Guardians, that the one named the greatest enemy to life would be so gentle with him and hold his heart. That this man would accept him so thoroughly, would understand him flaws and all and still love him. He would always have the fear of being alone, but it was a distant fear now; he felt more sure of himself, more free than he ever had. The fact that he was able to have this again, to finally be able to enjoy all that was theirs... He felt tears well up behind his lids. He didn't let them fall, but instead he pressed against Pitch, at that moment all he felt was happiness. He was loathe to break it, but he realized he hadn't told Pitch about his battle against the Shadows.

"Did you know... what it would be like for me?" Jack asked in a soft voice, not opening his eyes. Pitch's hand stilled at the question, a soft sigh of resignation coming from him before he continued the gentle caress.

"Not entirely. I could only guess what it was like. The Shadows don't affect me the way they do you or anyone else on this planet. I was born to fight them, as an initiation I invited the darkness into me, but no one here has done that. I am aware that I am different in that way." Jack said nothing for a moment.

"It was like nothing that I'd ever felt before." Jack kept his head against Pitch's shoulder, relishing the contact even as he drew back on the memories he had of that time he'd been possessed.

"There were several voices, whispering my fears and my doubts when they surrounded me, as if they could read into my very thoughts. I wanted to fight them off, I knew I needed to, but at the same time I felt so scared. Then they attacked me, I've never felt anything so painful before." Jack paused a moment, surprised that he felt only a ghost like fear of what he'd felt, it wasn't even all that strong of a fear.

"You were afraid of losing everything you had." Pitch said after a moment.

"Yes. At the time I was, now it seems so distant, like it was a fear that was held by someone else. Then, though, it was crippling in the way that I couldn't hear anything but them. I couldn't see anything but the Shadows. When they lunged at me, it was painful, the way they crawled into every part of me, sliding down any opening they could find. The fear reaching a peak that made me lose all control. I think at some point I lost control of myself even before I was fully possessed. Things went dark then, for a while, when I managed to climb back to consciousness I could only watch as they turned the world into one huge snowball. Much as I enjoyed the snow, I didn't want that... I knew that what they were doing was wrong."

"You fought against it." It wasn't a question so much as a statement.

"As much as I could. I couldn't wrestle control for them no matter how hard I tried. I saw Jamie in the woods, at first I thought maybe he was just looking for me until the Fearlings called out to you. Then I understood... I was angry. I was desperate to get Jamie out of there."

"I didn't want to involve him. I was only hoping that seeing him would free you. I was wrong." Jack nodded a little, but he still didn't move from his position; taking comfort in the touch that Pitch offered.

"I was angry at you at first, when I realized you'd brought him into this, but I know that you were only doing what you could to help. When I saw you again, on my pond, I wasn't angry."

"You had a right to be. I know how much the boy means to you."

"Perhaps."

"Careful now, you're starting to sound like me." Jack chuckled softly. He found the idea appealing, but did not say so. Instead, he continued where he had left off.

"I wasn't sure what I felt, seeing you there. I missed you though, that much I knew for sure. I ... I was barely conscious when they were facing you. I think they let me because they wanted to taunt me. I _despised_ what they said... how they were using what we had against you. When I heard what you said... I don't know, something in me snapped. I ... didn't want you possessed again. They'd already taken so much from you. I wasn't about to let them do it a second time." Pitch lightly slid his his hand to Jack's cheek.

"Jack." Jack opened his eyes to meet the golden ones looking at him.

"I'm sorry about that. I didn't mean to-" Jack placed his hand gently against his lips to forestall any other words.

"You did what you had to. I'm not mad about it, I never was." He could see the relief in Pitch's eyes and he wondered, not for the first time, how he'd become so fortunate to ever be considered worth anything to this man. It took him only a moment to replace his fingers with his lips, savoring the heat that Pitch always brought to him. He never would have thought before now that he would actively seek out heat, but now he couldn't imagine life without the heat he got from Pitch, whether it was from a kiss, through touch or something more intimate. He let himself sink into the kiss for a moment before pulling back.

"You seem okay with the fact that I travel." Pitch said nothing so he took the silence as agreement.

"I want to be able to come here, as my home," He shifted so that he faced Pitch.

"To come home to you."

"I want that too."

"I also want to know more about you, about your past. I understand that it will take time, that it might be difficult, but I still want to know." Pitch shook his head slightly.

"You're hopeless." He threaded his hand through Jack's hair affectionately.

"Hopeless and _mine._ " There was such affection in his tone that Jack couldn't help but smile. He shifted to snuggle into Pitch's lap then, curling up close. Pitch's arms wrapped around him, Jack felt that he could simply sit there forever and be perfectly content. In all his years that he'd seen others find happiness and comfort in others, he'd never once imagined he'd find the same one day or that it would come in the form of Pitch Black. He couldn't be happier than he was now.

The sound of "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" without the words startled them both, it took Jack a moment to realized that it was the communicator that North had given him. Jack shifted, bringing the blue comm out and held it in front of him, pressing the small "accept" button. He was hardly surprised to see North was the one who was trying to get ahold of him.

"Hey North, what's up?"

"Hoping I am not interrupting." Jack shook his head.

"No."

"Good. Would like to see you at workshop, Pitch too." Jack raised an eyebrow at that. What reason would the other Guardian want Pitch to be there?

"We'll be on our way shortly." Pitch replied, though when Jack glanced at him he could tell that Pitch was just as curious at the request as well.

"Wonderful! Be seeing you both!" With that the communication was cut off.

"Wonder what's going on." Jack said as he pocketed the device before easing himself from Pitch's lap.

"I'm sure North will enlighten us when we arrive." Jack could only nod in agreement. Pitch pushed the chair back to where it had been after standing and opened his arms for Jack. Though it wasn't his favorite way to travel, Jack didn't hesitate to smile and step into the warmth of his embrace; the shadows whisking them back to the room that Pitch had used while he'd been at the pole. For once the workshop was quiet, too quiet. It made Jack feel uneasy, he'd never heard the workshop this quiet except in the evenings when everyone had retired for the night, but it was the middle of the day. Pitch lay a hand on his shoulder and squeezed slightly, an attempt to offer reassurance as he'd obviously picked up on Jack's distress.

"I'm sure everything is fine, Jack." Jack only nodded, but was wary nonetheless as he followed the faint sound of voices to the lounge room.

"Ah, finally!" North said, upon seeing them. Jack noticed that all of the other Guardians were in the room with a handful of yeti and some elves who seemed to be relaxing like the Guardians. Sandy was working his way through a tray of eggnog, Tooth was hovering nearby with Baby Tooth, who was sharing an oatmeal raisin cookie with her. Bunny was leaning back in a chair, finishing off a christmas tree cookie himself. They all smiled at the two of them when North spoke up.

"Is good to see you Jack! You as well, Pitch." Pitch offered North a small smile, but he was obviously still not used to being around the other Guardians without fighting against them for one reason or another.

"Would either of you like eggnog or some hot chocolate?" North asked, a yeti nearby stepped up with a tray that had a couple of both.

"Thanks." Jack said, surprising Pitch when he picked up a cup of hot coco. Noticing the look as he took a sip, he swallowed the warm liquid.

"What?"

"Never would have pegged you for liking _hot_ chocolate." Jack chuckled slightly.

"Well, I've always liked it though now it's just a reminder of something better." Pitch had the forethought to blush, causing Jack to just grin while North chuckled and even Sandy had paused in drinking eggnog long enough to laugh. Pitch shifted a little uneasy, but he had to admit that it was nice being accepted by the Guardians for once, as if he was one of them. Bunny gave Pitch a smile, but he was the only one among the Guardians - besides Jack - who wasn't overtly reacting with happiness.

While he was glad they weren't ready to rip him apart, he wasn't really thrilled with the boisterous welcome either. He glanced at Jack who gave him a sympathetic smile and Pitch wondered how he put up with them for any length of time.

"You be wondering now why I call everyone here."

"You mean it isn't just an everyday thing that you throw a party?" Pitch asked sarcastically, feeling a bit better when he heard Jack snicker. North just gave Pitch a strange look. Jack tried to just sip his drink innocently though he honestly was enjoying the spectacle. Pitch had the notion that Jack was actually relieved to not be the center of attention for once.

"No, what has Jack been telling you?"

"Nothing. Nevermind, you were right. Why are you all here?" North seemed to sober a moment.

"Because Manny has spoken, is time you take Oath." Pitch blinked, eyes wide. He had obviously been caught off guard.

"You've got to be kidding."

"Is no joke." Pitch didn't say anything to that, he wasn't entirely sure if he was made for something like this.

"Isn't he the opposite of us?" Tooth asked, glancing at her fellow Guardians with some worry. She felt a little out of place that none of the others seemed to share her worry.

"Is true Tooth, but also true no light exist without casting shadow and no shadow exist without light. We are not same as Pitch, but we are complimentary, no?" Pitch nodded, he couldn't argue with that.

"Can't have Courage without fear." Jack said with a small smile that was echoed by Pitch. A yeti nearby handed North the book. He opened it and thumbed through a few pages, looking at Pitch.

"Make it official, no?" Pitch didn't say anything, but gave a short nod.

"Do you, Pitch Black, vow to watch over the children of the world? To guide them from harm. To guard them with your life for they are all that we have, all that we are, and all that we will ever be?"

"I will."

"Then, congratulations Pitch Black for you are now, and forever more, a Guardian." Pitch couldn't help the slight smile that tugged at his lips. He had never imagined he would ever be here, that he would say those words, but then again he had also never dared hope to be free of the Shadows and now thanks to the Guardians he was; more specifically he had Jack to thank for that. The young Guardian was smiling at him, his icy blue eyes gleamed with happiness and the mischievous smirk on his face, that was fleeting, promised so much. Pitch took a glass of hot chocolate, Tooth and Bunny grabbed a goblet of eggnog and they toasted in honor of their newest member.

"You know you're going to have to update those comms now mate." Bunny said, poking at North with a grin who gave Bunny an expression that made the other Guardians, including Pitch, laugh; though with Pitch it was less of an outright laugh like the others and more a low chuckle. For the first time since he could remember, Pitch was not only happy, he had friends, a love who was faithful, true and beautiful beyond compare. At long last, he was home.


	24. Epilogue

_My name is Pitch Black._

 _I am a Guardian_

 _Not your typical Guardian though._

 _I am the Guardian of Courage._

 _Unlike the others I will use fear and the darkness to test you._

 _To see just how much courage you have, if you can face your fears._

 _I challenge you with nightmares, come show me the courage you have inside._

 _I will await you every time you close your eyes, dancing in the shadows of night._

 _It's my job to make sure that children are ready to move beyond Childhood_

 _I am the final Guardian, the Gatekeeper_

 _If you lose sight of the light and fall into darkness, there I will be_

 _I will not go easy on you_

 _You must believe_

 _Remember to always see the Wonder of this world_

 _Never lose Hope_

 _Always chase and hold onto your Dreams_

 _Keep close treasured Memories_

 _Take time to have Fun_

 _Show me your Courage_

 _In the darkest of shadows I will be waiting for you_

 _Pleasant dreams_

 _He he he_


End file.
